Into Reality
by kussensloopx
Summary: Lesia was just an average girl until three hooded men appeared in her living room. Now she needs to find a way to return the three men to their stories. She never could have guessed the amount of problems that came with their appearance and that it was nearly impossible to try to do the right thing.
1. The appearance

**Hey guys!**

**First of all, thanks for clicking on this story. Criticism is always welcome. Mistaken in grammar etc. Can be found and if it bothers you, just tell me. I can miss things when I check. It happens. ****J**

**This is my first story on this site and my first story ever written in English. I came up with this a long time ago, but didn't feel like posting. Then thought ****_ah, why the hell not_****?**

**My native language is not English, so I apologize in advance for mistakes that have yet to come.**

**The Cover Image for this story is made by vanecool (her username on Deviantart is Cuine), so you should really check her out!**

**I hope you guys have a good day and enjoy the story!**

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Lesia was sitting on the couch, her mouth was somewhere near the floor and her eyes were almost popping out of her head. Because of her surprise, the controller of the Playstation dropped out of her hand, causing a loud _bang _when it hit the floor. The three hooded man who were standing in her living room finally noticed her and suddenly they were all moving. The man on the right took one of his guns out and pointed it in her direction. The man on the left disappeared in a blink of an eye and she felt something sharp against her throat. The man in the middle had his hidden blades out, standing there, just observing.

'What have you done to me?' hissed the man in her ear. Even though she had little time to look at him, she knew who he was. His name was Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. A _fictional_ assassin. Someone who could not be standing behind her, threatening to kill her if she didn't give an explanation.

The man who had one gun pointed towards her, Lesia recognized him as Edward Kenway, now grabbed his other gun and pointed it towards the man who was standing next to him. And he looked like Ezio Auditore.

'Where am I?' Edward growled. His eyes flickered between her and Ezio. Sometimes she saw him looking past these faces, trying to understand the room. Trying to understand these foreign objects.

'Do not point that in my face.' The man with the Italian accent said threatening. He clenched his fists slowly, his hidden blades clearly visible. _This is not going the right way_, Lesia thought. But it was almost impossible to speak. She just couldn't comprehend how these men were suddenly standing in her living room. She had been playing Assassin's Creed: Black Flag before this happened. She just had picked up a strange, orange orb with Edward. The last thought that went through her mind was that the orb looked like the Apple of Eden from the previous games. And then _boom_. Three dowdy-dressed men were standing in her living room. Threatening her, and each other, in her house. In her living room.

The shot of the pistol came out of nowhere. Ezio had quickly stepped forward. He had his wrist pressed against the hand where the gun was kept so when Edward pulled the trigger, the bullet flew through the air and crashed into the cupboard. The two men were ready to cut each others' throat, but they stayed their hand because Lesia was practically yelling at them.

'What the hell?! Are you fucking crazy? My mother is going to kill me when she comes back!' She got up from the couch – which was easy because Altaïr had somewhere between Ezio's moves and Edward's shot withdrawn his blade from her throat. Now she was standing in front of the cupboard, her hands placed on her head out of shock, staring at the hole. Her heart was pounding like crazy when she thought of her mother and stepfather seeing this in their kitchen. She would never be trusted again with the house when they were on vacation.

'Where am I?' Edward repeated his first words. His pistols were now pointed towards the two assassins, but he wasn't planning to pull the trigger. She hoped. Bullet holes didn't match the carpet design.

Lesia took a deep breath to calm herself. The thought of her mad parents made her stressed but the sight of the three assassins made her almost pass out. 'You are in America.' She answered with a silent voice. It wasn't a surprise that Ezio and Altaïr didn't get what she was saying. Before Edward could say something, she said: 'It's not the same year you are, were, living in.'

Edward lowered slowly his guns, because Ezio wasn't paying attention to him anymore. All eyes were on her.

'What are you saying, _bambina*_?' Ezio asked slowly. 'What year is it?' The three men didn't know what to expect from this girl. This little girl.

'The year is 2014 Anno Domini. You lived around 1200,' she nodded towards Altaïr. 'You lived around 1500 and you around 1700.' She nodded toward the other two men. 'Somehow you all became real and travelled through time.' It took a couple of seconds until the three men processed her words. And then they all started talking that she was crazy, she didn't know what she was saying, that it was impossible.

'What do you mean that _we became real_?' Altaïr asked with his Arabic accent when the room was silent again. In the game Altaïr was an arrogant person. He hadn't listen to Malik, questioned the missions he was sent on. Lesia wouldn't say his personality in the game was bad, he did found out the truth about his mentor, didn't he?

'Well,' she started hesitant. 'This may sound weird... but in this world you are made up. You live in a game and we can play as you, doing what you do, experience your stories.' She pointed slowly toward the table where the three Assassin's Creed games were laying. It was almost heartbreaking to see the three men looking at their games. They couldn't believe everything she just had said, but they hadn't the slightest clue of what did happen to them.

'Bullshit,' Edward hissed.

'I will not stand here and listen to your idiotic theories.' Altaïr threw his game on the table and walked towards the front door while Edward did the same only he walked toward the backdoor.

'No!' Lesia hurried after Altaïr, hit her knee against the table, cursed, turned around to try and stop Edward as well but it was in vain. 'You can't leave.' She said softly while she was standing in the middle of the room and both doors closed at the same time with a loud _bang_. There had already been a problem. Now the problem had turned nuclear. Two armed men dressed in robes jumping over rooftops or walking in front of cars... This was bad. They didn't understand this world, how could they possibly just run out of the fucking door?!

_Damn it! Nicely done, Lesia._

'We need to find them, Ezio. This world is nowhere near their world. Not everything is permitted, I repeat, not everything is permitted.' She was so close to losing her mind. She was walking around the room trying to think which way they went. 'How am I supposed to know where they are? They could be anywhere!' Lesia stopped and sat down on the couch again. For an instant she looked up and saw Ezio watching her. He put down his game on the table, but his eyes did not wander over anything else.

'Why do you care if something happened to them? Or me? If I heard it correct, we just appeared in your house. You had nothing to do with it. So why bother, _bambina_?'

'First of all, my name is not bambina or whatever you call me. It's Lesia. Second...' She thought a moment about his words which did have a point. Why bother? Then again, that was against her nature. She felt kind of guilty for picking up that stupid glowing orb. And, if the two fought with the wrong people or got caught by the government... They would be turned into zoo animals, scientist would do experiments on them or something like that. 'I can't just let them walk on the street like this. I could never live with myself if I did nothing.' She stared at her feet and let her words sank in.

Suddenly she got an idea. 'I know how we can find them.' Lesia said happily and was already walking towards the backdoor when she turned around and almost bumped into Ezio. 'But before we go, you need to change. You can't walk in this world with those weapons of yours. Or those robes.' Ezio looked down at his robes with a funny expression on his face. 'Come. My stepfather has left some clothes behind. You may wear that.' Lesia walked past him towards the stairs.

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*Bambina – Little girl


	2. Found help

**Hey guys!**

**Another chapter is ready. I have the feeling it's going a little fast, but oh well. I also have ideas for this story. Not sure if I'll do it, though.**

**But whatever, have a good day and enjoy. :]**

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'This is a strange world,' Ezio told her when she tried to explain a car. It was the first thing they saw when they left her house. It surprised her that he didn't ask a lot – only the things that were real obvious and weird. And if someone asked her, there were a lot of strange things in this world.

They were currently walking on the sidewalk. It was noon and the sun was shining through the clouds. A light breeze constantly reminded her that she should've put on a coat. It was too late now.

'Where are we going?' Ezio asked when they walked across the road to get to the other side. He was wearing her stepfather's red sweater with zipper and hood. Of course the hood was on, but he did look normal. _As normal as a junkie._ His weapons were currently sitting in a bag under her bed. It was hard to convince him that he was, in this world, better off without those life-taking things. That they weren't allowed on the streets.

'A... Someone I know,' she said to be safe. She wanted to say _a friend _but was he really? He was just a classmate. A silent one, who only spoke when asked. She had been with him in the same class for almost three years and they hadn't spoke, really.

'Someone you know... that sounds convincing.'

Lesia needed to realize that from now on she needed to think about every word she said out loud. She was with an assassin and he noticed everything. That's why she let him watch the rooftops for his fellow assassins.

They walked into a street with big houses, expensive cars and beautiful gardens. This had w_ealth _all over the place. Lesia was surprised that the boy they were looking for, lived in this part of the city. Of course she already knew he lived here, but hearing it was one thing... seeing it for yourself was another.

It didn't took long to find the house they were looking for. This house was just as expensive as the other houses. A BMW and a Porsche were parked in the driveway, in front of the house. There was a golden-like gate next to this house. No doubt it led to a swimming pool.

'Ezio...' Lesia said when they were standing in front of the door. She turned to him. 'Just... don't say anything. No word.' She made a 'zip it' movement with her fingers in front of her lips and hoped the message got through his thick, Italian skull. She turned back towards the door and knocked. Three times.

A young woman opened the door and was immediately looking suspicious towards the odd pair: a girl and a man whose eyes weren't visible because of the hood that covered his face. Lesia put on a lovely smile and when she wanted to say something, she got shoved away by Ezio who let his charms take over control. Lesia wanted to punch him for being the ladies man that he was. If the person wasn't a man he would _do_ it. _Jesus Ezio_.

'Hello there,' he said in a deep Italian voice. He had this playful smirk on his face Lesia couldn't stand to look at. Before he said anything else, Lesia shoved him away and faced the blonde.

'I apologize...' she gave Ezio an angry look. 'For my _cousin. _He is not from around.'

The woman gave Ezio a funny look and then rested her gaze on Lesia. 'It's quite alright. Why are you here?'

The girl gave the woman her full attention and smiled. Her blue eyes twinkled. 'Well, I was wondering if Logan was around... He and I are friends.' _Liar._

The eyes of the woman widened and her serious-face was replaced with a happy one. 'Oh!' she exclaimed with a high-pitched voice. 'That's wonderful. Quick, come inside.' She stepped aside so Lesia and Ezio could enter. For certainty, Lesia grabbed Ezio's arm to make sure he didn't get 'distracted' a second time.

The house they entered just took Lesia's breath away. It was spacious and luxurious. The house was very warm. Lots of windows let in the sunlight. It was painted white, with paintings of various things hung throughout the house. There was this huge painting of a family of three: the beautiful blonde Lesia recognized as the woman who let them in, a man wearing a suit – he had a serious face – and a thin, little boy with glasses covering his intelligent eyes.

'Logan doesn't get a lot of friends over.' The woman said while shutting the door behind her. She turned towards the odd pair. 'I'm sorry, my name is Lindsey. I'm the mother of Logan. May I ask your names?'

'Lesia,' she said before Ezio could answer. 'And this is my cousin... Carlo.' She smiled sweetly towards Ezio who gave her a glare of pure hatred. He did not like the name. Lesia assumed that Lindsey didn't know who Ezio was, but it was for the best.

Lindsey – who hadn't seen the glare of Ezio – just smiled. 'Do you guys want something to eat? Drink? No? Well, I suppose we can go and see Logan then. His room is in the basement. Follow me.' The blonde chirped. Lindsey opened the door next to the stairs and rushed down.

'Carlo? Are you serious?' Ezio whispered to her before they went down to the basement.

'Yes, I'm serious. Now shush.' She went down the stairs and noticed how narrow the stairwell was. If she hadclaustrophobia, and that wasn'tthe case, shewouldby now be lying on the ground, panting like an idiot. It was almost suspicious how narrow it was in a house this big.

Lesia almost bumped into Lindsey.

The blonde was standing in front of this huge, dark room. The room had a bed and two black couches. But the thing that caught everyone's eye was the TV screen that was located at the other side of the room. On one side of the TV there was a computer resting on a table and at the other side a laptop. Between these there were game consoles flickering. _Everything in this basement was as expensive as everything in her whole house_, Lesia thought. She was maybe a little bit jealous.

Lindsey knocked quietly on the wall – and Lesia doubted if Logan, who was sitting on a couch watching TV, had heard it. 'Logan? One of your friends is here.'

Logan didn't stray his gaze. He didn't turn around to look who entered. He simply replied: 'Okay mom. Can you close the door in your way out?'

'Of course, sweetie.' Lindsey gave the two a friendly nod before walking back up the stairs.

Logan, who had muted the sound of the TV, waited until he heard the door being closed and said: 'The school year is over. I can not change your school grades. No, not even if you gave me money or threatened me. You can go now. Bye.' He un-muted the sound and, just like that, he turned toward his TV.

Lesia was a little shocked and offended by his behavior. Apparently a lot of kids came to him to change their grades. Now she finally understood how some people made it to their next year. But, nevertheless, his behavior was rude. Now she realized why no one ever talked to him: he was an arrogant son of a... lovely mother.

'You've got yourself some nice friends, _bambina_,' Ezio said sarcastic. He refused to call her just _Lesia. _Well, _Bambina _was now giving him a death glare. She walked over to the couch Logan was sitting on, grabbed the remote, which was lying next to him, and pressed the red button. The screen went black.

'Hi Logan,' Lesia said in a cantankerous way. She looked at the boy of her age sitting on the couch. From behind his glasses she saw his dark eyes watching her wary. She was having a pretty bad day and he wasn't helping at all. And if she knew how to hack the stupid cameras in this awful city, she wouldn't have bothered him in his hermits basement. If the three assassins didn't magically appear in her house, she never would've come to him. But she needed his illegal skill to detect the two missing assassins. 'I'm afraid me and my friend here,' she pointed towards Ezio who had still his hood on, 'lost sight of two people. We'd like to know where they are. I know you can help with this.' She was surprisingly calm even though she didn't like the arrogant expression on his face. Something told her that he and Altaïr could get along very well with each other.

Logan was surprised to see her standing in his basement, but he was more surprised of the man Lesia was with. He noticed how fit this man was. He had muscles all over his body. He noticed his arms folded into each other and his expression... Well, he couldn't see the eyes, even though he felt them pierce through his. And his mouth was pressed in this not-amused line. The man didn't look happy at all. It scared him.

'Well,' he said and he was glad that his voice didn't shake. 'What's in it for me?'

Lesia raised a brow. Was he seriously asking this? 'The honor,' she growled and their eyes met for a short amount of time.

'That'll have to do then,' he sighed and got up the couch. 'I have nothing better to do anyway.' He walked over towards his computer, pressed spacebar and the black screen vanished and gave way to the home screen. His desktop background was something art-like with orange swirls. She never understood those backgrounds.

'Do they have a name? A phone, perhaps?' He asked annoyed.

'Nope...'

Logan glanced at her. 'Who on earth doesn't have a phone these days?' He shook his head in disdain and started to open programs on his computer. 'Do you at least know how they look like?'

The girl gave him an annoyed glance he didn't catch. 'They both are wearing robes of the game Assassin's Creed.' Lesia wasn't surprised he snorted.

'And they say I'm a lunatic for sitting in a basemen- HEY! Don't touch that!' He yelled angrily at Ezio who was touching his stuff. It were comics. Logan then went back to the screen of the computer and was currently shaking his head, mumbling, while his fingers flew over the keyboard.

Lesia was almost frightened at how fast Logan was in this sort of thing. He rose from his chair and grabbed the remote out of her hands. Then he changed the canal of the TV and suddenly a hooded face appeared on the screen. It was awkward to see his face this huge. Behind the white hooded face there was almost nothing to see. A little bit of road, a little bit of house. But nothing major that could give away his location.

'You got yourself an Altaïr. Is this one of the men you seek?' Logan asked, now interested.

Lesia nodded.

'Well,' The black-haired boy said. 'This is on Atlas Avenue. Your guy is hanging in front of a camera on Atlas Avenue in an Assassin robe. What the hell? What kind of crap did you drag me in, Lesia? And who the hell is that?' He pointed towards Ezio, his eyes looking directly in hers. _Shit. _

She swallowed. 'You won't believe me if I told you.' Was she really willing to tell someone like him what just happened? He knew the games, clearly, but no one could ever had the slightest clue that this could be real. That Ezio was standing next to her. That Altaïr was hanging in front of a camera. And that Edward was somewhere only God knew. She wasn't even sure if this was really happening. Maybe it was just a dream? Anyhow, she couldn't do this alone and she knew it. She felt that his... expertise could come in handy. Unfortunately.

His eyes flickered behind his glasses. 'I probably won't, but tell it anyway.'


	3. The search

**Thank you guys for following and/or favoriting this story. It's really freaking awesome people actually read this. =}**

**I wanted to make this chapter a little bit longer, but thought it would be better to cut it off here. Next chapter is going to be... interesting. **

**Have a nice day and enjoy this chapter!**

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'Remind me one more time why you're here,' Lesia yelled back at Logan who was running behind her. He had a bag resting on his shoulder and with his hands he held onto it. In the bag sat his laptop. Lesia had no idea why he took it with him – or why she and Ezio allowed to follow them – but it may be coming in handy. That were his words. Lesia honestly didn't believe he could do anything on it without Wi-Fi.

'I don't want to miss something like this!' he yelled back and almost tripped over his own stupidity.

Panting, they stopped when they were standing on Atlas Avenue. Lesia's eyes were first searching for crowds, pointing towards the rooftops. But they weren't there. Then she held a hand above her eyes while searching every rooftop.

'The camera is hanging over there,' Logan said when he had catch his breath. He pointed towards a large building on the corner of the street. It looked like an office. A lot of scenarios played in Lesia's mind while she was walking up and down the street, looking for Altaïr. Not only could he hurt himself, – there weren't any haystacks around and honestly a haystack couldn't prevent one's body from breaking when they performed a Leap of Faith – but he could be in serious trouble. He could've accidentally bumped or shoved the wrong people and get killed. Maybe he was dying somewhere right now and they would hear a couple of days later on the news _the tragic case of a fan of Assassin's Creed. _

Lesia snapped out of her terrifying and ridiculous thoughts, because Logan was waving his hand in front of her eyes like an idiot to get her attention.

'What?' she snapped.

Logan first gave her his angry-look and replied: 'I was practically screaming in your ear to get your attention. Is this you playing hard to get?'

'When my body is forced to listen to an annoying noise for too long, it will automatically ignore it,' she returned the look he gave her. 'Why did you want my attention anyway?'

'Jeez... I don't know... Maybe because your Altaïr is currently running like an idiot on rooftops. And your Ezio just left our fellowship to go and get him.' His eyes glanced towards a building and Lesia needed to turn around and see that Altaïr was, indeed, running on the rooftop. And Ezio had climbed already half of the building. For a moment Lesia was fascinated by Ezio. His hands were like eagles crashing down on their prey: fast, determined and right on target. He needed to make one big jump – because there were no other objects to grab – and then pull himself up. This was all done in a couple of seconds.

Ezio didn't hesitate or catch his breath; he immediately ran after Altaïr and, probably, yelled his name because the man in the robes suddenly stood still. Altaïr turned around and started to walk towards Ezio. She thought he would stop or at least walk slower when he neared Ezio, but he didn't. Instead he swung his right hand towards Ezio's face.

Ezio blocked his attack and held onto the wrist of Altaïr. Luckily, he was prepared for another attack of the Arab with his left hand and also held onto this one. He started to talk to Altaïr. And after a while, Altaïr started to talk back.

'I've never seen Altaïr speak this long,' Lesia said surprised.

'Yeah, well, it's probably because they need to repeat the same sentences over and over again due to their unintelligible accents,' Logan replied simply.

Lesia let out a sigh. _Thank you, Logan, for ruining the moment. _She watched the two assassins talk when suddenly her attention was drawn from them. Police sirens. She heard them loud and clear. Her thoughts went, yet again, on a anxious tour. _There was a chance that it had nothing to do with Edward, _Lesia thought to herself, trying to calm herself. Ah, who was she kidding?

'Stay here with those two,' she let her gaze fall on the two assassins, 'I'll look for Edward.' She didn't give Logan time to object; she was already running towards the sound, while praying that Edward was okay. Her heart was beating like an idiot.

She stopped. The girl was standing at the beginning of a street, her eyes glancing over the crowd that was blocking the road. In the reflections of the windows she saw the flashing lights of the police cars. Suddenly, she was scared of what was happening behind the crowd. She couldn't see anything, but she did felt the fear towards the scene. Lesia let her feet carry her to the crowd and she pushed people to the side. No one was really offended by this; some were angry, but when they knew a girl was pushing them they relaxed, others were too distracted watching whatever was happening. She pushed people out of her way until she had a clear vision.

Five police officers were standing in front of the crowd. Their arms folded and no expression whatsoever on their faces. Two police cars were standing on the sidewalk while an ambulance was standing behind the 'event'. Two paramedics were bent over two bodies, while the crowd was yelling confused or angrily.

Bodies. Lesia was now just as scared as the crowd. Her eyes followed everything that was happening. Were they dead? Did Edward kill them? She had to pull her thoughts together. She had been Edward for almost thirty-six hours, so was this something Edward would do? She needed to observe. So Lesia did.

It were two men who were lying on the ground. One was wearing a red coat, the other a yellow one. There was no blood, so he didn't use his hidden blades. Who was saying it was Edward anyway?

'He appeared out of nowhere!' A woman voice yelled next to her.

'No, he came from the sky!' A man said.

'The man was wearing robes!' Another yelled.

Edward was indeed the one who did this to the poor men. The paramedics were talking to the bodies and suddenly Lesia saw finally that the two of them were still moving. They were moving just like the ones in Black Flag who didn't get killed by your hands. It was weird.

Lesia let out a big sigh of relieve. No murders, yet. She wanted to keep it that way. Even though it was inevitable – they are called 'assassins' after all.

Suddenly she felt as if someone was tapping her shoulder. With a frown on her face, she turned around. The first thing she saw were two old pistols. Then a lot of straps, a red cloth around the waist and the hood. No doubt she was looking at Edward. _What the hell was he doing?! _

Panicked she looked around to see the faces of the crowd, but no one was really... seeing him. Some threw her a glance, but no one gave him one. Were those people blind? Stupid? Or both? Then she remembered something of the games. _Hide in plain sight. _Of course. She turned her gaze to Edward, who thought this was, somehow, amusing. He had a grin glued on his lips.

Lesia didn't feel amused at all.

Edward motioned her to follow him through the crowd and she did. She was amazed how he touched people and slipped past them without alarming one of them, while she pushed everyone aside and got annoyed glares.

When they got out of the crowd, Lesia immediately pushed the pirate into an alley before anyone saw him. He wasn't hiding in plain sight anymore so he could be easily spotted. Especially in those robes of him.

'Aren't you a little young for this,' he smirked. They were standing in the shadows of the building next to them. People were rushing past the alley, but no one looked.

Lesia wanted to smack herself on the forehead, but she restrained herself. 'Are you out of your mind, running off like that?' He didn't answer. He just shifted and out of his pockets came this... noise.

Lesia raised a brow. 'Is that what I think it is?'

Edward returned an innocent look. 'I don't know what you're talking about. I found 'em myself.'

She was still looking at him, holding up her hand. She waited until he finally gave her what she wanted. 'You robbed those poor men!' she accused. Lesia was looking at her hand, now holding the dollars he gave her. They weren't kidding, he was in love with money.

'They should've hid the money somewhere better,' he said, not even trying to deny it.

'You don't even know what this is called,' she said, her voice raising an octave. He grabbed the dollar and put it back in his pocket, while saying: 'Coin is coin.'

Lesia rubbed her hand over her face. She already had a headache. Everything that happened didn't do her any good. She has never felt all those emotions in one day. The nerves she felt all day weren't helping either.

'They're here!' A voice shouted from behind. Lesia turned around to see Logan walking towards them.

'Isn't she a little young for this,' Ezio joked to Edward while jumping the last bit of the building. Altaïr did the same. What did they do in alleys for Christ sake? On second thoughts, she didn't want to know, really.

Edward chuckled.

'You guys are okay?' Lesia's eyes went from Ezio to Altaïr and back. She gave them a questioning look. Not long ago Altaïr tried to kill Ezio and she had no idea why. Maybe he was just mad because he didn't understand. That didn't sound like him. But, he had a temper after all.

'We are fine,' Altaïr said not very happy, but honest. 'In this world I will listen to you.'

Lesia blinked a few times to let that sink in. The best thing about Altaïr was that he never spoke rubbish. That also was the reason why he didn't talk much. This, however, was something entirely different. Lesia almost felt flattered. Even though he had spoken with annoyance. She was, after all, just a girl. In his world women weren't allowed to speak and kids were just ignorant things, running around, causing headaches. How did Ezio manage to let him say something like that? Then again, these weren't exactly comfortable circumstances.

'Yes,' Ezio said with a clear voice. 'We will all listen to you, _bambina_. And, of course, to Logan. I think that is best for now.' He had given Edward a glare to let him know that he also needed to listen to the kids. They wanted to bring them home after all.

'So where are we going next?'


	4. Question marks

**Hello guys!**

**So someone asked how old Lesia was, and when the characters were pulled out of their lives etc. I will answer them because it's understandable you guys want to know what's going on. **

**First of all Lesia is like 15/16 years old. (I can't pick so, yes, two ages.) **

**The second question is kind of hard. One thing I do know for certain is that they didn't go through their whole story, they got pulled out somewhere in the middle because Ezio and Edward are already familiar with the creed. I hope that kind of answers the questions.**

**I will have the first two books of AC next week and I can't wait to read them. I will know a bit more about Altaïr and Ezio. (I only played Black Flag myself. However, I watched someone else play the other games.) :]**

**Oh, and for the guys who didn't realize it; spoilers!**

**I hope you guys have a good day and enjoy the chapter! (I hope Ubisoft doesn't sue me for this.)**

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Lesia was sitting at her table at home. She was constantly tapping the wooden table while her stomach was making sounds even lions couldn't produce. She was hungry. This whole day made her hungry. Her phone was lying next to her on the table and she caught herself a few times staring at it. She was alert and frightened that they were followed. Even though she let the three assassins run over the rooftops towards her house. She didn't want them in more trouble they already were in.

Her eyes moved from her phone to the money Edward had stolen. It wasn't _that_ much, but she could buy something nice of it. Only to compare. She wanted to give it back, but that wasn't an option either. Now she realized what kind of money _blood money _was. No blood was shed, but it still felt bad. She wasn't the type who stole at the local supermarket or smoked behind it. Her stepfather smoked and it smelled. Her clothes always smelled like it. It was just one more reason to hate him. She couldn't stand him. He made the mistake to act like a dad, he wanted to be called dad and when he didn't like something she needed to get it done. In her book that meant you needed to fuck off. She never understood why her mother married that guy.

Lesia looked up from the table and glanced into the living room. She ordered Altaïr and Edward to get out of their robes and into the clothes she gave them. They were now all wearing a sweater with a zipper and a hood. Her stepfather was a fat guy who didn't suit anything decent but junkie clothes. Their weapons were also placed under her bed just like the weapons of Ezio. If someone found them, he or she probably would think she was crazy. She kind of was. The sweaters were too big for all three of them and she didn't even want to get started on the trousers. Edward was wearing a dark blue sweater and Altaïr a white one. She chose them and she thought the colours fit the person.

She watched as Logan was telling a story Lesia didn't quite understand while Ezio and Edward were sitting on the couch listening and laughing. It amazed her that the boy actually could be funny. He also, finally, believed they were really here but 'in the way of physics it wasn't possible'. _Well, no shit Sherlock. _

Altaïr was the one who wasn't sitting or listening. He was the one who was looking around the room, inspecting everything, touching everything. She had gave him permission for that. He sometimes threw a question towards Logan's face who answered – most of the time – too clever. Altaïr – most of the time – just nodded and then focussed on the next object. Sometimes he knocked on the wall to be sure there wasn't a secret room behind it. Lesia had no idea what the man was doing and honestly, she couldn't care less.

Lesia lay her head down on her arms which were placed on the table and closed her eyes. She wasn't only hungry, but also very, very tired. It felt like she just had run a marathon or something. And she only had run after a couple assassins. It wasn't that big of a deal.

She startled when someone tapped her shoulder. Lesia opened her eyes and looked up only to see Altaïr standing in front of her. Silently, he asked permission to sit next to her and she accepted. It occurred to her that he made no sound whatsoever in whatever he did. He was the most silent man she ever met.

'What is that?' Altaïr started the conversation. He nodded towards her phone which Lesia picked up. For a minute she just stared at it and then finally said:

'It's called a phone. But it can be, partly, compared to a library. All the knowledge in the world is in here.' She was speaking like it was a major thing even though she only watched a couple of funny videos on it. How sad.

'In that little something? Impossible,' Altaïr said in disbelieve.

Lesia smiled. 'Well, it's true. You can also communicate with someone somewhere. He could be standing at the other side of the ocean and you can still talk through this.' She restrained herself to laugh out loud. The face he was currently making was hilarious. He just couldn't understand the phone.

They sat in silence for a moment. However, the laughter coming out of the living room filled it. She watched as Edward almost choked on his water and smiled at the sight.

'Where are your parents?' He then asked. His hood wasn't covering his eyes so she finally saw them. They were really beautiful. They reminded her of the eyes of a wolf, yellow-ish, almost gold-like. He had a very intelligent look, however he hid it underneath a barrier of arrogance and ice.

'My mother and the man she married are on a vacation,' she answered, her eyes moving towards the phone. She still thought they were being watched or that the FBI could barge in the door any moment now.

'You mean your father?'

Lesia snorted. 'No. My mother and father aren't together anymore.' She wanted to tell him something about her father but then realized that she actually had no idea what to tell him. She had no idea who her father really was, or where he lived. She knew how he looked like and he had been a real dad for five or six years of her life. But then he just... disappeared. Her parents got divorced and told her that they didn't love each other anymore and that it was better this way and all the crap they could think of to say... But she has never seen her father again. In her head he was the bad guy because her mother always talked about him in such way.

The sound of the doorbell pulled her out of her thoughts and for a second she thought they were doomed. Then she remembered she ordered Chinese and rose from her chair. Her eyes caught the stolen money and for a moment she hesitated. Logan gave her a funny look and watched as she grabbed the money and walked towards the front door.

Lesia gave the nice man the money and in return he gave her the Chinese. She ordered a lot, so when she walked back into the living room Ezio had to help her put everything on the table.

'It smells _delizioso_,' Ezio commented while inhaling the smell. Lesia smiled while she gave everyone a plate.

When everyone's plate was full and they were eating on the couch like tigers – everyone was starving apparently – Lesia started thinking. The reason they went to her house was to hide the three assassins. And, of course, thinking of a way to return them into their stories. But what if it was impossible and they were stuck here forever? It would be disastrous. They didn't want to be here, the only reason why they were currently eating on her couch was because they had no one else to trust. She tried to explain to them why they couldn't run off and it kind of ended in _if you run off, you dead. _Nope, she wasn't the best hostess out there.

Logan was the first one who was finished eating and Lesia said to him he needed to open his laptop. So he walked over to the table, pushed the food aside and placed his laptop on it. He put the plug into the wall next to the refrigerator.

'Y'know, gettin' food at your door, havin' clean water in your house... This is the life I have dreamed of. Well, his life. I've been told he has a lot of coin,' Edward said grinning while pointing towards Logan.

Logan just shrugged. 'What do you want me to find?' He asked to Lesia who was standing next to him, looking at the screen. She had just gave him the Wi-Fi code so he could search the internet.

'Uh, I don't know... Something about how to return three fictional characters?' Lesia gave him a laconic look. He rolled his eyes and thought for a moment. A wrinkle appeared on his forehead while doing so.

'You picked up something that looked like an Apple of Eden in the game, right?'

'Right.'

He gave her a funny look. 'So why don't you check the games first, maybe you find something out of the ordinary. I'll see what I can find about... this.' He gestured towards the whole room, but only meant the three men who were now all sitting on the couch. They couldn't help because they didn't know the objects. 'What is the last thing you all can remember?' Logan asked to the three assassins.

Lesia walked over to the Playstation and pressed the _on _button. She glanced around the room in search for the controller.

'I was lying on my bed in my room which I share with Malik,' Altaïr said thoughtful. He looked like he was about to say something clever, but didn't and said instead: 'Well, I am glad the man didn't come with me to this world. He can be a real pain.'

Lesia chuckled at his comment, while standing in front of her TV. She was currently searching through the menu to start the last game she played: Black Flag.

'I was walking the streets in Venice,' Ezio replied.

'And I was sailing on the Jackdaw.'

Lesia frowned while clicking like an idiot on the X button, trying to even start the game. Black Flag didn't work. She tried three other games. The two Assassin's Creed games she inserted didn't work either, while The Last of Us did work. It wasn't the Playstation, it worked just fine. The Assassin's Creed games were the problem. 'The games aren't working,' Lesia remarked. She pressed the off button on her PS and turned to Logan.

'It's weird...' he started and gave the assassins a glance. 'But then again understandable. The protagonists are here. And without them there's no story to play.'

Lesia blinked a few times. How did he came up with those theories of him. How could he think logically? 'But they're games. How...' She couldn't finish her sentence because she just had no idea. She had no idea how three great assassins were able to sit on her couch.

'Oh! I wanted to ask you before, but... didn't have the chance. Where is Connor?'

'Connor?' She raised a brow.

'Yes! Connor Ke...' He went silent and looked at Edward, trying not to be suspicious but reached the opposite result.

'Who is Connor?' Edward asked, well, with suspicion.

No one answered. It was kind of awkward to tell him that he – in the end – gets a son, ten years later gets murdered. Haytham, his son, becomes a Templar who also gets a son who will be an Assassin, Connor. So his grandson kills his son... Indeed. Very awkward.

'I don't have the game, maybe that's why he isn't here,' Lesia said, knowing that she ignored Edward completely.

Logan nodded in agreement. 'Yes, that sounds logical.'

There was an awkward hush spread across the room. Edward didn't ask more question and she was glad about it. She didn't want to lie but she didn't want to tell him either. The Kenway family was, in the games, very unfortunate. He had no idea how unfortunate.

'Lesia,' Logan said without looking. Lesia rushed over to see what he got.

'So, we know that Ubisoft always add historical events and figures in their games. This article tells us that the city of Masyaf in the Holy Land did exist. And there was indeed a guild of assassins based at the castle of Masyaf. It was founded by Persian missionary and philosopher Hassan-i Sabbah. Those assassins were almost identical to, well, him.' Logan pointed towards Altaïr who had heard they were talking about things he knew so joined them.

'It is sad to see Masyaf in ruins,' he said when he saw the picture of the old castle.

'Yes.' Logan didn't really know how to react to Altaïr, so he just continued. 'They assassinated politicians and leaders and their assassins were as skilled as Altaïr. So the Assassins did exist in history. And we know, well,_I _know the Templars did exist.'

Lesia sighed annoyed but ignored his arrogance. 'So... Assassins and Templars existed. That doesn't explain the appearances of these three.' Lesia pointed towards the living room even though only two were sitting there.

Logan nodded in agreement. 'No it doesn't. But it does explain the inspiration of Ubisoft. And, of course, the history. The Assassins and Templars were real. Some figures who appear in the games were real. What if Ubisoft lied about _they were just making a game. _What if Altaïr, Ezio and Edward did exist?' He looked at her, questioning, but he wasn't finished. Logan clicked on another article. Lesia could read the title: **_Ubisoft, our beloved game developers or not?_**

'What is this?' Lesia asked with a frown covering her face.

Logan scrolled up and down the article. 'It's an article about Ubisoft. This man is questioning Ubisoft in all kinds of different ways. I searched a little more and found out myself Ubisoft is this huge question mark. Especially their Canadian subsidiary in Montreal. Ubisoft Montreal. They are the developers of the Assassin's Creed series.' He moistened his lips. 'We need to know more of Ubisoft Montreal. I think they are hiding something.'

Lesia's eyes widened. 'You want to go to Canada?! Are you insane?'

'No, Lesia,' he almost chuckled. 'We _need_ to go Canada.'

* * *

**Next chapter we're going to Canada guys! **


	5. The road to Canada

**Hey guys! **

**A new chapter! Whoohoo. Idk why, but it was really hard to write this. Like ****_really_**** hard. Maybe I'll rewrite this one when I feel like it (probably not) but now it'll have to do. This chap probably has the most grammar mistakes, I am truly sorry but it was hard. This is like the calm for the storm, so next chapter(s) going to be crazy. **

**I'll be gone on the 12th of July and I'll be back on the 26th. And, unfortunately, I will have no internet. So there'll be two weeks of no updates. But I will have my laptop with me, so I'll be writing chapters while I'm gone. :]**

**Oh, I wanted to tell you guys; thx dudes. For favoriting, following, reviewing. It really gives me motivation to write. And we're now entering the good part of the story. :]**

**Anyway, as usual, have a good day and enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Lesia was still shocked. She had walked a few times around the room, mumbling Logan was insane. Canada. She wanted to help the assassins, yes, but... Canada? 'It's impossible. How..?'

'By car. It's only a three hour drive,' Logan replied simply. He wasn't even close to losing his mind, while Lesia already lost it back in the streets.

'Who is going to drive then?' Her eyes met the dark coloured eyes of Logan. For a moment it was completely silent in the room. The assassins had no reason to talk so they remain quiet as she tried to reason with the boy with the glasses.

'You can drive, right?' Logan cocked his head a little and was now looking directly to her - not through his glasses.

'Well, yes, but... Wait! No! Not to Canada!' Lesia's eyes widened while she thought about it. She knew how to drive, yes, but she only knew this because of her mother. Last year her mother had nothing to do so she pulled Lesia with her in her boredom and started to give her driving lessons. But driving to Canada?! 'I don't even have a driver's license!' She pointed towards the living room. 'They don't have a passport.' Lesia blinked a few times when she found Logan almost chuckling to her words like they meant nothing. It was an oh-you-silly-peasant chuckle. It annoyed her.

'You underestimate my powers,' he said darkly. His eyes flickered from under his glasses.  
Lesia's brow raised. 'So you are saying you can give them a passport and me a driver's license without involving anyone of the government?'

Logan nodded like it was nothing. 'If we can snap some photos, I'll have them in the morning. I suggest we also leave in the morning. The sooner the better.' He closed his laptop and pulled the plug out of the wall, while Lesia was still staring at him in disbelieve.

'You can accomplish all that by just... hacking?' Logan gave her a look she couldn't quite place.

'Who said hacking was my only power?' He looked like a villain and Lesia realized he maybe had read too many comics. She rolled her eyes and didn't want to wake his arrogance again.

'You got a car?' He asked.

A little smile tugged at her sides while thinking about a potential car. 'My stepfather left his car at home. So, yes. In matter of fact I do have a car.' If something happens along the way - and something will happen with her behind the wheel - it won't matter. She wanted to egg his car anyway.  
'Alright, let's start.'

The next hour they were busy with taking pictures. As a girl, Lesia hated this because of the serious face. The serious face was the ugly face, especially on those things. Altaïr thought Logan tried to murder him with the flash, so he attacked him and threatened him. Ezio and Edward both had to pull the Arab off the boy. In the end he was only allowed to take one picture. It was a good one, though, Altaïr was born to grimace. It went much smoother with Ezio and Edward.

'Okay, don't forget, I'll be standing here in the morning with my stuff. Don't be late.' He gave her a serious look.

'Yeah, yeah, yeah,' Lesia pushed him out the front door and he turned around one last time.

'You sure you're going to be okay with those three?'

Lesia chuckled. 'They're practically dogs.'

'And you had a dog?'

Lesia gave him a dumb look. She never had a dog. 'I'll be fine. Now go home.' She waved him off and watched as he walked into the night with his bag pressed against his chest. She shook her head with a grin and closed the door. His laptop was as precious to him as a weapon to an Assassin.

The girl turned around and bumped into Edward, who, apparently, was standing behind her. 'How long have you been standing here?' she asked him while taking a step back. Jesus he was standing close, like, invading her personal-space close. He probably never heard of an aura, well, he had been standing in one.

'Long enough,' he replied. He looked down to her. 'I need to take a piss. Do I need to go outside?'

Lesia shook her head and pointed towards the door next to her. 'This is the toilet.' She then explained briefly how it worked and went back to the living room. Lesia asked if they needed anything - they didn't - so she suggested they took a shower. She certainly did not want to walk next to three smelling junkies, so she kind of commanded it.

When the three guys were finally done with taking a shower - and it took ages - it was late. She had to constantly tell them how everything worked and which bottle was the soap. Then they went to bed. Altaïr was lying on the couch, Ezio on the other couch and Edward had found the bed of her parents. Then she needed to take a shower herself, brushed her teeth, and by the time she finally reached her bed it was past midnight.

The next day came quicker than she anticipated and even though she felt like she hadn't slept at all, Ezio still woke her up.

He was nudging her shoulder while she had placed her pillow over her head, growling to get out of her room.

'Come on, _bambina_, we're wasting daylight.' His words made her think of what time Assassins got up. It was probably early. She placed the pillow next to her and gave Ezio a glare of pure, pure hatred.

He laughed innocently, while throwing his hands in the air. 'I know an angry woman when I see one. I will take my leave.'

'Oh! Now you know I'm angry. Have you not heard my growls?!' She threw her pillow in his direction.

Ezio ducked, still chuckling, and took his leave while Lesia's head fell back onto the mattress. Sleeping was, unfortunately, not an option anymore, so she eventually got up. It was ten o'clock, early in her book. She got dressed in flexible pants and a shirt with a print. She brushed her teeth and while doing so, she opened the door to her parents room. Edward was already up, which she already guessed.

When she was finished, she walked downstairs to get something to eat. She gave the assassins a glare while making a sandwich. They already found some food, so she didn't have to worry about them.

'You look great,' Edward said but she knew he only said it because Ezio told him what happened. She looked like a monster in the morning. It was amazing Ezio didn't collapse of fright.

'Shut up, Edward.' She ate her sandwich while looking at the three men who were watching her in return. It was kind of awkward.

When she finally was finished with her sandwich, the doorbell rang. And it was Logan standing next to the car of her stepfather. He drove a black Volkswagen, four doors.

'You want to open the door for me, thank you,' was the first thing Logan said to her. Lesia rolled her eyes, searched for the keys and pressed the button to unlock the doors. He placed his bags on the passenger seat, so the assassins needed to sit in the backseat. Lesia didn't know if that was a good idea. Logan didn't care as long as he had his way.

'I've told my parents I am sleeping over so...' He didn't finish his sentence. He didn't have to. Lesia already got the point. They had time.

'If you know the way to Montreal, I'm fine with it.'

Logan made a face and then gave her a driver's license. Her driver's license.

'Congratulations, you are a legal driver. Yay. If you get the guys, we can start our journey.' He wasn't happy, or excited. Lesia was. She was also impressed and didn't even look up from her license when she called out to the assassins.

Logan was standing at the door, giving the men their passports. 'Welcome Harry,' he said to Edward, 'Shahir,' he said to Altaïr, 'and Carlo. You are now American citizen.'

Lesia burst out laughing upon hearing Ezio's name: the name she made up in Logan's house. Yesterday she said to Logan to put that name in his passport. His face was priceless. He hated the name.

'Harry? Mate, I've never done anything to you. This is just cruel.' Edward gave his passport a lot of different looks, he had no idea what to do with it.

'You did not even try,' Lesia laughed. Harry, Shahir and Carlo. None of the assassins were happy with it and she couldn't blame them. The names were so terrible it was hilarious.

Lesia opened the door. 'Just go and sit in the car,' she mumbled, still laughing. The first who entered the car was Altaïr, the next was Edward and the last was Ezio. He gave her a deadly glare.  
'You know how we call something like that in this world?' She raised a brow. Amused.

Ezio shook his head.

'Karma, _bambino_. For waking me up this morning.' She saw a smile tugging at his sides while entering the car. She just gave him a taste of his own medicine. Now apply water to the burn.

She closed the door behind the Italian, making sure nothing was sticking out of the door while doing so. She didn't want to be the one who gave Ezio nine fingers. Or in the case of Altaïr, eight.

Lesia was the last one to enter the car. She put the keys in the ignition, but before she started the motor she turned around. 'If anyone complains about my driving style, I will seriously push you out of the car.' Her eyes flicked to Logan. 'Especially you. No word other than directions.'

Logan nodded with an annoyed sigh and a tight _fine_.

She then started the motor and drove out of the driveway while knocking over a plastic trash can in the progress.

No one said anything even though she knew they were all thinking the same. They probably thought they were going to die and, well, that thought didn't sound crazy at all.

Logan was right; it really took three hours to get to Montreal. The ride hadn't been pleasant. Lesia had missed a turn, or turns, she didn't remember – well, denied. Altaïr told her once in a while she was too young to 'control this roaring beast'. Logan just sighed, growled and gritted his teeth. But no words. And she was okay with it even though it annoyed her as much as when he talked.

Passing the Canadian border was of all things she had done the worst. First they needed to pay for the roads, that went okay. Then the woman wanted to see their passports - and Lesia's driver's license. She gave everyone this glare of suspicion. And while she inspected the passports, Edward started talking to her! It made everything worse. She let the car pass eventually, but not without talking to a colleague about it. Logan talked them out of suspicion, fortunately. She had to admit: he had his ways.

'Finally! The end of suffering!' Edward said while stepping out of the car. He closed the door behind him, inhaled the air of the city and stretched his legs.

Lesia felt sore. She had been sitting in one place for too long. She was hungry and thirsty not to mention extremely cranky. Everyone was. Still, Lesia felt proud for not causing an accident. She only hit a trash can, she drove on the highway, in the city and even parked the car. Her mother would be proud – and angry. What would her mother think of all this? Right now she was in Montreal. If her mother ever found out she drove all the way to Canada, she'd get killed.

'Alright, this way.' Logan started walking without even looking. His eyes were on his phone and he walked, while the rest followed. They didn't have a choice.

For some reason, Lesia felt this bad feeling in her stomach. The streets were a little too empty for her liking. She started to hear voices. They were yelling.

'Hoods,' she hissed toward the assassins and they acted immediately. To Logan she said: 'What the hell is happening?' He just shrugged.

As they came closer to Ubisoft Montreal, sounds got clearer, harder. And when they walked on Victoria square, they started to see the crowd. People were standing in front of Ubisoft Montreal, yelling. The entrance was blocked by four men. They were armed.

'AC is dead?' Edward said uncomprehending. He had read the sign of a man who was standing – and yelling – in the crowd. If they looked closer, more people were waving with signs about AC: Assassin's Creed.

'If you just had listened to the news on the radio, we would have know by now what is going on.' Logan gave her a look and Lesia returned one. Without saying anything, she started to walk towards the crowd, leaving them confused. The girl tapped a woman on the shoulder who was yelling something about answers.

'What's going on?' she asked to the brunette.

The woman gave her a hard look. 'It's about Assassin's Creed. The games including Altaïr, Ezio and Edward do not work. World wide. And we want answers.' She started yelling again, leaving Lesia puzzled.

'And?' Logan asked when she was within talking-distance.

'The games including our beloved Harry, Shahir and Carlo aren't working. I thought this only happened to the games in my house because _they_ appeared in my house. But it is like you said: With no protagonists there's no game to play.' Lesia hadn't realized this whole... situation was major. It had an effect on the world. It was crazy.

'Hm, well...' Logan pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. 'I need to go check something. Wait here.' He gave her his bags – which were surprisingly heavy – and she watched him as he disappeared in the crowd. She had no idea what he was going to do.

Altaïr and Edward were sitting on a bench under a tree and Lesia put Logan's bags down as she sat down next to them. Ezio was still standing and watching.

'In this building we were made?' He gave her a questioning look.

Lesia nodded. 'Yup. Made. Created. Whatever you prefer to call it.'

Ezio folded his arms while he glared to the building as if it done something bad. She couldn't blame him. What if she was torn from this life and suddenly placed into a world where they told her she was fictional? She wouldn't believe them. And the assassins didn't believe her either, but they tried to understand the situation.

Logan was making his way back to the bench they were currently sitting on. He looked like a scolded dog. Lesia wondered what happened.

'We need to tackle this in a different way,' he said while grabbing his bags. They were inseparable.

'What did you do?' Lesia asked, pointing towards the direction he just came from.

Logan inhaled sharply. 'I wanted to know if we could do this the easy way. We can't.' He was talking secretively again. She didn't understand.

'What can't we do the easy way?'

He sighed annoyed and gave her a glance. 'They won't let anyone in the building. So we need to find a way to get in. I need the files on those computers.'

Lesia felt, yet again, a wave of nerves washing over her. Driving to Canada didn't seem like a big deal anymore. Logan wanted to break into the building of Ubisoft and steal? Yes, she wanted to know how three assassins just appeared in her living room. But doing something so ridiculous and illegal? 'You want to break into that building?'

'It doesn't look difficult, at all,' Altaïr said looking towards the building which was surrounded by high fences with barbed wire.

Lesia ignored him. Was she the only sane person here? Why was Logan sounding like it wasn't a big deal?

'See? Three Assassins to keep you safe. You only need to plug an USB into a computer. I'll do the rest.' He gave her a little smile she wanted to punch off his face. She was doing the dirty work while he was sitting on his ass, outside the _restricted area._

'Why do I need to go?'

'Because they aren't familiar with our world. Cameras and that sort of things. And you can't hack. That's why you need to go with them. But don't worry about it just yet. We're doing this when it's dark. And when we have food, I'm starving.'

Lesia gave the boy a bewildered look. Thinking about food when he just said they need to break into Ubisoft Montreal. Typical.


	6. Ubisoft Montreal

**Hey guys! **

**It was so much fun to write this chap. Hehehe. Especially that last bit. Yup. I'm evil. Sooooo... this will be the last chap I write before I'm off to Denmark. No internet = no chaps I'm afraid. For two weeks. **

**I hope you guys have a great holiday and as usual: have a good day and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Lesia didn't want to admit it, but Logan was too smart for his own good. He was also convincing. He could explain the most stupid ideas and make you believe they couldn't go wrong. Just like this one. But she was the only one who needed the convincing. Altaïr, Edward and Ezio would break into Ubisoft with or without her. And, as the person she was, she wouldn't let that happen. She and her stupid guilt. They didn't know a thing about this world, shit, they didn't even know how to plug in an USB-stick. So she had to go. And she was nervous about it. Extremely nervous.

They were currently sitting outside a restaurant on Victoria square. They had just eaten. As time passed so did the crowd in front of Ubisoft. The people were heading home because Ubisoft didn't respond to their anger. It was as if they did not care; but Lesia knew better. They probably didn't understand either how those games stopped working. She didn't blame them.

'No one is in front of the building anymore. I think it's time.' Logan gave everyone a quick glance. It was already dark outside. They had to move towards the bench under the tree: the restaurant had closed hours ago.

'Alright.' Logan grabbed the second bag and brought forth a suitcase while his laptop was booting up. He opened the suitcase and the famous _clicking_ sound could be heard. What was in the suitcase was probably a hacker's dream, but to Lesia it was a huge question mark. A lot of wires, a lot of spy-like stuff. She knew Logan was a nerd, but she hadn't realized he was on this level of _nerd_. He grabbed something out of the suitcase and gave it to her. It looked like half a headset.

'The hell is this?' She took the headset-thingy and inspected it.

'It's an over-the-ear headset. Just plug it into your ear and press the button when your Bluetooth is on. It will be connected to your phone. That is how we stay in touch. It also has a transmitter. I will follow you once you're in the building and give you the right directions to the computer where you...' He grabbed another thing from his suitcase and gave it to her. It was an USB-stick. '... need to plug in this. This USB-stick is unique. Once this is plugged in the computer, all the files on that computer will automatically be copied on this thing. It doesn't matter if the computer has a password, I programmed it in a way so that nothing can stop this little fellow.'

Lesia took the USB while giving Logan a hard look. 'You knew this was going to happen. You knew we needed to break into this building,' she hissed accusingly.

'No,' he corrected her. 'I didn't know it was going to happen, but I couldn't leave it out either.' His eyes gave her this intelligent look she didn't like. He called her on his phone and she heard her phone ring through the headset.

'Can you hear me?'

'Yes.'

She placed her phone in her pocket and swallowed hard. Her hands were shaking. She never had done something like this; she never had done anything against the rules. Or laws. It was incredibly scary and it felt wrong. Very wrong.

'It is going to be okay, _bambina_. We are going to keep you safe.' Ezio gave her a soft smile, reminding her that she wasn't doing this alone. She had three skilled Assassins with her.

'Actually, nothing can go wrong. No one is in the building, no one is watching it. You should be fine. Just keep an eye out for those cameras.' Normal people would've given her a reassuring smile. Logan, however, as the horrible person he was, didn't even give her a glance. He was too distracted with his laptop.

Lesia sighed. 'Shall we go then?' She gave everyone a quick glance, now fully realizing that they all were waiting on her. She was the weakest link in this _fellowship _as Logan called it.

'A great suggestion. Good luck.'

Lesia rolled her eyes because Logan was, yet again, not looking up. So the four of them left him on that bench under the tree. She felt her nerves going through every inch of her body while walking towards the fences that surrounded the building. Soft light could be seen through the windows of Ubisoft Montreal. The armed men who had been standing in front of the building were gone. They went inside when the crowd started to leave. And now they were probably home with their families.

Lesia put her hands on her hips while looking up toward the fence. 'How on earth are we going to climb this?' They finally found a spot where no cameras were placed, so they didn't need to worry about being seen.

The three Assassins gave her a confused look and Lesia realized how stupid her question really was. She was with three Assassins, who climbed – and jumped off – buildings as high as the Eiffel Tower. A fence like this, to them, was a piece of cake.

Altaïr was the first who climbed over the fence in only a few seconds – without cutting himself on the barbed wire. Edward and Ezio were next. Lesia was the last one who made it over the fence. She did it without cutting herself, but it took her a couple of minutes and a couple of fingers – they ached. Altaïr, Ezio and Edward didn't seem to notice they used them in the first place.

'Logan,' Lesia whispered to the headset. 'You know where we are. You know where the cameras are. You need to guide us through this.'

It took a couple of seconds until he finally answered. 'Of course.' His voice wasn't clear, but clear enough to know what he was saying. 'You need to get away from the entrance.' It was silent for a second. 'When you go around the corner, on my mark, you need to run as fast as you can – and as close to the wall as possible. We are lucky the cameras are moving automatically.'

Lesia nodded and then realized Logan couldn't see her. 'Okay.' She told the men what Logan had said to her and they started to get in position. Altaïr first, she second, behind her Edward and the last one who started running was Ezio.

'We're ready. Just say the word,' she whispered and waited. It took him an awful lot of minutes until he finally gave her the mark.

'Now.'

Lesia repeated his words and they started running. It was a long run and while they were running, she noticed the camera above her, moving, inspecting the area. But they were too close to the wall – Lesia's brushed against it – so they couldn't be seen. They just needed to go around the corner, when suddenly Altaïr stopped and she bumped into him. Her heart started racing. Why did he stop?! The camera was probably already on his way back to inspect this area again! They could be easily spotted!

'What the _fuck_ Altaïr?!' she hissed to him and she heard Logan complaining they needed to go around the corner.

Altaïr gave her a quick glance. 'There is a guard standing around the corner.' He looked almost questioning, as if he silently asked her what he should do with him.

Lesia couldn't think straight. Her mind was only thinking about that damn camera so she replied: 'Well, do something about it then.'

Altaïr gave her a nod, placed a finger over his lips and silently gestured that they needed to follow him. So they did. And Lesia was relieved they finally made it around the corner, when she saw Altaïr stealthily walking up to a man who was giving the Assassin his back. It was too dark to see anything, but Lesia thought the man was wearing a bulletproof vest.

Suddenly Altaïr wrapped his left arm around his neck while his right hand covered the mouth. The man was squirming and struggling, he was trying to get out of the position he was currently in. But he didn't stand a chance. His blood flow was cut off; he didn't get oxygen into his brains.

Lesia had to cover her mouth with her hands otherwise she would've screamed. To see a man drop to his knees like that; like a potato sack... She saw those things only happen in movies. She had no idea that it...

'Is he dead?' Her voice hadn't been this quiet in a very long time. She was afraid of the answer.

Altaïr was towering over the man, fists clenched. His head moved in her direction, but he didn't look at her. '_Stay your blade of the flesh of an innocent,' _he said softly. 'It does not matter in which world I am, I obey the Creed. Therefore, I did not kill the man.'

Lesia let out a shaky breath and gave Ezio and Edward a quick glance. She played the games, she knew how Altaïr had been as Master Assassin. In Solomon's Temple he didn't stay his blade from the flesh of an innocent. And everyone knew how that went.

Lesia ignored the shouts of Logan who had no idea of the fact that there would be guards. She walked over to the man who was strangled by Altaïr and inspected him. He was wearing, indeed, a bulletproof vest. In his hands he had this weapon that Lesia only had seen on TV or in games like Call of Duty. Why were guards guarding a building of a game developer?

'What the hell, Logan. Why are guards walking around this building with guns?' Her tone was very angry and she felt the same way. Why didn't they know this? This made everything worse. They could be killed! Their lives were in danger!

'Well, it means that Ubisoft is indeed _guilty_ to some things. We're in the right place. Lesia, we're really close and you can't give up now. You need to do this, okay?'

She didn't say anything; she was silent. And even her mind was silent. She felt as if she was frozen on the spot; she couldn't move. She couldn't give up, she knew that, but she really _wanted_ to. She really wanted to go home, to her mother. She never had been this scared, or shocked, or shaky. So, it took her all of her courage to say to Logan:

'Tell me where we should go next.'

It took a lot of patience, running and stealth to finally find a window that was open. The Assassins strangled a lot of guards, but no one was killed. Logan had guided them perfectly through the maze of cameras. Now, they were currently standing with their backs against a wall. The window Edward had spotted was located in the building next to the one they were standing. This building had no floors and was only used as a 'bridge' to go from one building to the next. They needed to climb this building, climb the other building, open the window and then they were inside Ubisoft. But, there was a problem. There was a camera constantly moving over the area. Yes, they could time it, but the window was located a little too high for Lesia – and climbing wasn't an option. One of the Assassins could do it. But they didn't even understand the windows of nowadays. They had no choice.

'... and if that doesn't work, just force it open.' She gave Ezio a worried glance, while her fingers were nervously touching her shirt. Logan made sure there weren't any surprises – like an alarm.

'_D'accordo_, tell me when I can start.' He gave her a reassuring smile and then focused on the first wall he needed to climb.

Lesia waited until Logan said Ezio could start and repeated it.

Ezio took off in a run, half-climbed, half-jumped onto the first building. He then ran fast toward the second building, climbed and started to work on the window. Lesia couldn't see much in the darkness, but heard Logan say he needed to hurry. She then got grabbed by Altaïr. He pressed her back against the wall, because otherwise, she was seen by the camera. The girl had no idea if Ezio made it in.

The three waited patiently until the camera was looking away again and peered through the darkness. Ezio was nowhere to be seen, but the window was open which indicated that he made it.

Lesia sighed relieved.

The next one was Altaïr who had no trouble whatsoever to climb into the window. Edward and Lesia were the last ones who needed to climb the buildings.

She waited on Logan's mark and then Edward climbed the building, pulled himself up, turned around and held out his hand. Lesia ran towards his hand, jumped and grabbed it while he helped her up. He then did the same, but now he held his hand out of the window. She grabbed his hand again, and he managed to pull her inside just in time.

Her heart was racing and her hands shaking when she realized they were standing in the building. It was a long corridor with different paintings. If she turned right the corridor debouched into a room with tables, chairs and a bureau. When looking the other way, the corridor ended in a staircase.

Ezio was inspecting the room, while Altaïr was pressing his ear against doors. He listened, and guarded, the group.

'We're in. Which way to that computer of yours?' Lesia gave Edward a glance who closed the window.

'It's not my computer,' he countered with his annoyed tone. _Man, was this guy always in a bad mood? Even Altaïr had his friendly ways. _

'Whatever,' Lesia sighed impatient. 'Just tell us where to go.' Edward chuckled upon hearing the girl sighing.

'The computer is located a floor above you.' Lesia silently motioned the men to follow her. 'Cameras?' They walked up the stairs.

'None that can harm you along the way. You need to realize this computer is behind a locked door.' Lesia wanted to reply something, but someone grabbed her before she could do that. It was Ezio and he held a finger to his lips. They were standing on the stairs, looking into the hallway.

'Guards,' Ezio whispered to Lesia who cursed without speaking.

'Which door, Logan?' She said as silent as she could.

'The- Jesus man! Can you please get the fuck away? I am not interested. BYE!' Lesia chuckled to herself. 'The first,' he puffed weary.

Lesia gestured to Ezio and he bowed to her so she could whisper in his ear: 'You and Altaïr need to deal with the guards. Edward will pick the lock of the door.' She suddenly realized she gave an Assassin an order. And he carried it out.

Ezio nodded silently and explained it to Altaïr, while Lesia gestured to the first door. 'You can pick a lock, right?' She chose him because he was the one who went after all these treasuries. They had locks, right?

'Of course.' He then shoved her to the side. Altaïr and Ezio were already stealthily walking towards the guards, while Edward walked towards said door. Lesia followed.

He crouched while inspecting the lock for a moment, trying to understand it. Suddenly he rose, took a step back and charged for the door. A loud _bang _was heard while the lock broke and the door swung open_. Someone must've heard this._

'What the hell?' she hissed to Edward who shrugged. Lesia passed him and walked into the room. It wasn't a big room, but that was probably because every wall was covered with bookcases. The girl walked behind the desk were the computer was located. She plugged the USB into the computer and pressed the _on_ button.

'It's in.'

It took an awful lot of minutes to copy every file to the USB-stick. Lesia noticed the papers on the desk, but couldn't read them. They were typed in French. Edward was still standing in the doorway, guarding her. Altaïr and Ezio had just returned and were also waiting.

'Done,' Logan finally said. 'Get out of there.' He didn't have to tell her that twice.

Lesia grabbed the USB, made sure the computer wasn't on, and got out of the room. They went down the stairs, waited until they could jump out of the window, ran without being seen by cameras and climbed the fence.

Logan was already waiting on them and they walked away from the building, from Victoria square. It was past midnight and the streets were empty. Street lights illuminate the streets. Cars passed.

Finally, they found a bench Logan wanted to sit on. Water was flowing behind it and Lesia had rested her elbows on an old, greenish guardrail that prevented one from falling into the water. She already gave Logan his spy stuff back, including the USB, and he was currently typing like a maniac on his laptop. _Logan without his laptop was just like Deadpool with a sane mind_, she thought to herself. _Not amusing._ It was weird thinking about what happened the last couple of days – two to be exact. Going to Canada, breaking into Ubisoft to get information. She could write a book about all this, because the adventure wasn't over yet. The Assassins still needed to go home.

Logan wanted to say something, but he was interrupted. Edward had shushed him and was now peering into the darkness. Ezio and Altaïr were also on their guard and suddenly Lesia got a bad feeling. The air got thicker, sounds got louder and she was seeing things in the dark. She gave Logan an unreadable glance. He winced.

All of a sudden things were happening. People appeared out of nowhere. All of them were wearing a bulletproof vest, holding guns. They looked like FBI, but nothing indicated they were. The Assassins went straight into the attack: throwing punches, dodging punches. But the men who appeared were with too many and they had skills. At one moment everyone was fighting each other and the next the Assassins were grasped and held into place. Three men were needed for each Assassin to keep them in check.

A man appeared who wasn't wearing a bulletproof vest. He looked like the leader. And he was walking straight towards Logan. But Logan wasn't crazy. He closed his laptop, made sure it was off, and threw the USB to Lesia – who, miraculous, caught it. She gave Logan a scared glance and he was trying to tell her something, but he was interrupted by two men: one grabbed his laptop, the other grabbed him and held him firmly in place. Lesia saw tears in his eyes.

The leader was now walking towards her and, without even thinking, she held the USB above the water. 'Don't come any closer,' she warned, while backing up until her back was against the wall.

The man, immediately, came to a halt. His eyes pierced into hers, trying to get to her. He had broad shoulders, and even from this distance, she could see a scar on his left cheek. The scar ran from just below his eye to his mouth. It made him a lot scarier than he already was.

'Don't be stupid,' he said with a deep, cold and shivery voice. 'Give me the USB, Lesia.' She almost dropped the USB-stick upon hearing her name. How did he know her name? This was bad. This was really, really bad.

Her anxiety must've been reflected on her face because the sides of his mouth twitched. 'Oh dear, just give me the USB-stick.' He took a step forward to her, but she gave him, yet again, a warned glance.

'Let them go.' Her eyes flashed angrily upon seeing Altaïr taking a beat. 'Do you know what happens when something like this comes into contact with water?'

He didn't answer.

'Logan, explain.'

Logan, who was really freaking out, was now trying to order his thoughts. 'The waterwill make itsway inside, and thefiles in itwill be lost.' He gave her glance and again an expression she couldn't quite place. Was he trying to say to her to do it? To throw the thing in the water? She wasn't planning on it. They had gone through a lot of shit to get this damned thing.

The man, who looked amused, wasn't impressed and he suddenly started to walk up to her. For a second, she had no idea what to do and then her mind went on automatic pilot. She dropped the USB-stick.

'No!' the man growled while trying to grab it, but it was in vain. They both watched as the USB-stick dropped into the water and disappeared from view. In his anger he grabbed her throat and squeezed. He lifted her from the ground, while her nails were scratching his hand like an idiot. She couldn't breathe. Tears were slipping from the corners of her eyes. She was hearing her heartbeat in her whole body. She... couldn't... breathe. Logan was screaming, Ezio, Altaïr and Edward were struggling to get to her. Edward managed to punch one of his captivators in the face, but didn't manage to struggle loose.

'It was stupid to do something like that.' His face was inches from hers. 'I hope you keep that in mind.' He then grabbed her head and banged it three times against the wall. It only took one time to get her unconscious.

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**I know. I am terrible. Cliffhanger. I am sorry. See you in two weeks! :]**


	7. Interrogation

**Guess what... I have returned to the land of WiFi. I'm really tired though. Just popped out of the car and into bed, but I ****_really_**** wanted to post this. So I'll keep it short. And yes, I'm an asshole for leaving you guys hanging like that for two weeks. **

**First of all, I'm so happy you guys like this story. =D And, yes, this is my first fanfic.**

**Okay, cut the crap, have a good day and enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Pain. It was the first thing she felt after being knocked out. Her head was pounding. Lesia was starting to come back to her senses. She was currently sitting in a strange position: her head was resting on her arms, while her arms were all over the table. The table?

She looked up. The movement itself gave her not only a thunderstruck-feeling through her entire body, but it also made her dizzy. In a reflex, she wanted to touch her head but her hands only shifted a couple of centimetres. She was handcuffed – and certainly not loosely. Her eyes started to scan the room. In front of her was a mirror. A huge one, covering the entire wall. That was the only interesting thing in this grey room. The girl who stared back at her she recognized hardly. Dark brown hair. Blue eyes. But she had blood all over the place. In her hair, on the side of her face. Her hair was dishevelled. Her neck bruised. Her throat was stinging and raw. The worst thing was that she couldn't breathe normally – with every breath she made a sound. Swallowing wasn't that comfortable either.

Beside her numb body, she recognized the room. She had seen enough detectives to know where this was going. This was an interrogation room. But she couldn't remember when she was taken by the police.

And then it hit her. Ubisoft Montreal. The USB-stick. The surrounding. She remembered what had happened. But where were Logan, Altaïr, Ezio and Edward? And where was she?

She started to panic – and that wasn't good for her head. She tried to slip through her handcuffs which obviously didn't work. She banged the cuffs onto the table – desperately hoping they would break. But she already knew it wasn't going to work. Metal versus wood. It was just like rock versus paper (even though in the game paper wins). So, with nothing else to do, she started to cry. Sobbing, actually. It was soft. Lesia was afraid. If it was the police who arrested her – and she really hoped it was – she didn't have to be afraid. But she knew it wasn't the police. The police would never smash her head against a wall.

She gave herself another glance in the mirror and remembered that, in every NCIS, CSI or whatever- thingy, they always watched the suspect from behind that mirror. And she got the feeling someone was watching her right now. Just observing.

The girl stopped crying and she stared ahead. Her hands were shaking, as usual. She bit her lip trying to get rid of that feeling. The same feeling she had when she was about to speak in front of class. Oh, how she wished she had a presentation instead of sitting here. The bright lights made her dizzy, the silence made her go crazy and her head made her worry.

When finally someone decided to go and talk to her, Lesia was almost choking. She had been in this room for too long. When she was in a room for too long, especially a room like this, she felt as if the air in such room thickened. It felt as if the room was trying to choke her while it was her own mind. This was only because there weren't any windows. And that big, stupid mirror wasn't helping at all.

Her eyes darted to the door, longing for air, but the door closed when the man with the scar had let himself in. The man who hurt her.

She gave him a cautious glance and noticed he was tall. He had muscles just like the Assassins, but Lesia didn't get the feeling he used them to do good, to bring peace or justice. She felt shivers down her spine just by looking at him, standing there with a full glass of water. His eyes were as cold as ice. She swallowed.

The man sat down across from her but first he placed the glass in front of her on the table. The sounds of his footsteps, or the sound of the glass being placed on the table... it almost cracked her head. Again, she wanted to touch her head and again it wasn't possible. Handcuffs.

He cleared his throat, the sound was just as unpleasant as the sound of fingernails scratching a chalkboard. She wanted to disappear. Right then and there.

'I figured you might be thirsty.' His words were almost kind, but his expression was the opposite of kind.

Her eyes flashed towards the glass of water. She didn't trust it, she didn't trust _him_. 'It's probably poisoned.' Her words weren't as hard as she thought. They were raw and soft. It hurt to speak. It hurt to think. But both were absolutely necessary right now.

The man chuckled. Again it looked kind. But it was dark. It was a dark chuckle. 'Probably.' He repeated. His eyes playing with hers as if he tried to get inside her mind. She looked away.

'There's only one way to find out.'

Lesia was thirsty. But what if it was poisoned? Her eyes darted, yet again, towards the glass. The water seemed fine to her. It wasn't white-ish. She would taste it if it was poisoned, right?

She let her hands wrap around the glass and she put the glass to her mouth. The cold water numbed her sore throat; it felt good.

'Good girl,' the man murmured pleased. He waited patiently until she was done. Then he intertwined his fingers and lay them down on the table. His hands were wounded. Scratches. Scratches she made with her nails.

Lesia swallowed and realized her throat was hurting again. 'Who are you?' She thanked God that her voice wasn't all over the place. It was steady, perhaps a little soft but that was okay.

'Who am I?' His brow lifted while he said the words. The question remained unanswered for a minute. He let it sink in while staring at her in a way she didn't like at all. 'My name is Mathias.'

Mathias. She expected a weird, evil name but it was a normal name. An ordinary name. Her fingers started to tap the table silently. She knew more people were watching her from behind that mirror. 'Where are my friends?'

Mathias gave her an unreadable expression. 'Oh?' His vibrating voice ended an octave higher than when he started. 'You mean Harry, Shahir, Carlo and Logan? They are safe.' His eyes had this shimmer, she thought she recognized. It was as if he knew. The word _safe _out of his mouth didn't sound safe at all. She prayed they were okay.

'Tell me now, _Lesia, _I think it's very peculiar that you have three international friends. One from England, one from Italy and one from Syria...' She wanted to say something but he raised his hand to silence her. 'I am not done yet. I think it's very odd that they are travelling with you when your parents, pardon me, your mother and stepfather are on a holiday. Are you staying with your father?' He, again, silenced her because he, again, wasn't done speaking. 'No, you are not staying with your father. You don't know who he is, do you?' He chuckled darkly. 'It's okay. A lot of kids don't know their father even though they are living in the same house. You are lucky. Explain to me, Lesia, how did you break into Ubisoft Montreal? And why did you do it?'

Lesia gave him an anxious look. How did he know that? How did he know everything about her? And why did he want to know all of these things? Shit. He could know everything about her, but she wasn't planning on telling him one single bit. He could drop dead for all she cared. He smashed her head against a wall, even her shoulder blades were bruised. She couldn't use the back of the chair!

'Wouldn't you like to know.' She gave him a hard look, knowing the next few hours could be dreadful by saying these words. She wasn't planning on saying anything. 'Didn't I have a right to an attorney?'

Mathias chuckled – Lesia didn't know if that was a good thing. 'Oh, dear. You have clearly mistaken this.' He gestured toward the room. '_I_ am not someone of the government.' Her suspicions were right, he wasn't related to the government. But the way he emphasized the 'I' made her think someone close to him was. 'For you have no right. And no right at all.'

'Of what are you then?' She gave him a questioning look which he didn't dodge.

'Where would be the fun if I told you that?' His dark eyes held hers for a long time. She couldn't look away. The silence returned to the room and Lesia felt the pressure on her chest come back. The air thickened again and she noticed her hands were sweating.

'Well,' he said breaking the silence. Suddenly, he rose from his chair very quickly – it startled her. 'You are clearly not answering my questions, so I must take action...'

All of a sudden Lesia heard voices from behind the mirror. Someone was screaming. She heard a lot of duff thuds while the screaming continued. She got goosebumps. Her eyes widened as she started to pull on the handcuffs, trying to get away of whatever was about to happen. Her head was pounding like an idiot, but she didn't care; she couldn't. She needed to get out of here.

Mathias had a toothless smile on his face when he watched her. He could almost taste her fear. 'Don't worry, _Lesia. _It will only sting a little.' His eyes didn't stray from hers when two men barged into the door. One was holding a metal case he put on the table, in front of Mathias.

The men took her handcuffs off and as soon she felt she was freed, she tried to get away. She knocked her chair over in the progress. Unfortunately, they grabbed her firmly as soon as she was loose. The men lifted her toward the wall behind her and her head smashed, yet again, into the wall. Her vision blurred for a couple of seconds while she felt the pain of her head through her whole body. Her eyes fell on Mathias who was holding something in his hand. The metal case was open and she tried to focus her eyes, while Mathias walked towards her.

Finally she could see what he was holding in his hands and fear blossomed in her stomach. It was a needle. With his forefinger he tapped against the needle causing a drop of the liquid to fall onto the gray floor. Lesia was seriously doing everything she could to get away from him. She struggled and squirmed. But two men were stronger than a simple girl.

Mathias' eyes shimmered again, while standing in front of her. He was too close for her liking.

'Get away from me,' she screamed, incapable of doing anything to make him stop._Make him stop._

His free hand touched her chin and turned her head so that her neck was exposed. Well, the artery. _Inject something in the artery, and it will have almost immediate effect. _

'I will take good care of you,' he muttered softly and then injected the liquid into her body. She was screaming and struggling while Mathias watched. She tried to struggle loose, but it was impossible. Suddenly she felt as if she hadn't slept for days. She was extremely exhausted and sank to her knees while the men let her go. Her eyelids were getting heavy and her mind was drifting away from her body. Again she found herself in complete darkness.


	8. Behind the bars

**Hey guys!**

**A new chapter awaits. Next one is going to get crazy. **

**I don't have anything else to say sooo...**

**Have a good day and enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

_Edward_

Edward was sitting with his back against the cold, hard wall. His eyes stared annoyed ahead toward the bars. The room he was in was damp, dark and cold. If he listened carefully he could hear the rain from outside. Because of the rain, everything was wet including the floor. The person next to him shifted and he gave him a glance. It was Logan. The kid had been thrown into the dungeon – because that was the only way to explain this room – an hour ago. Edward had no idea where he had been.

'Are you okay, Altaïr?' Ezio asked to the man who sat in the cell next to him. Their cells were across from the cells of Edward and Logan.

'I have been through worse.' Altaïr was standing in his cell, his arms folded and his eyes on guard.

'Yes, like when you got stabbed by your own Mentor,' Logan said sarcastic. He crawled towards the front of his cell and wrapped his hands around the bars. The kid had a crack in his glasses. Edward felt bad for him. He was just a kid, just like Lesia. And they tried to help them. And look what they got: a creepy cell, a not-so-friendly man who put them there and wounds.

'It was necessary. My actions were unacceptable,' he defended himself – even though it wasn't really defending.

Logan rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, remember? I know how your story goes. I know how it ends. You don't have to tell _me_ that.' Logan was tired. Very tired. And when he was tired he became grumpy and unbearable.

Altaïr just shook his head, not even bothering anymore to say something to the boy.

Edward sighed a long, deep sigh and leaned against the bars. They all agreed on escaping, but the problem was... they couldn't. None of them had seen a way out, so if they wanted to escape they needed the keys. Also, Lesia wasn't here. Lesia wasn't in the dungeon. The last time they had seen her was when her head got smacked three times against a wall. They were forced to get in a big car – Logan called it a van – with a lot of people. All those people were holding guns Edward only could've dream off. It was then when his heart ached. He missed the Jackdaw and its crew. He knew he could always rely on them, especially in a situation like this one. But in a world he did not know, with people he barely knew... it would be hard to get out. It would be hard to get home. And even though they needed the help, they didn't want the help of two kids. They were risking their lives for them and if they died, they died for them. And the last thing Edward wanted was blood of a kid on his hands. Especially those two. He liked them.

'What did they do to you, Logan?' The Italian gave the boy a questioning look.

Logan shrugged. 'They asked questions, but they didn't do... anything. I only answered the questions that didn't matter.' He let out a shaky breath while thinking about the interrogation. In a much quieter voice he said: 'I hope Lesia is okay.'

'We all hope she is okay,' Altaïr mumbled and the silence made its way into the room again. Waiting. It was the worst part of life.

After what felt like ages they heard the sound of a door opening. And then footsteps down the stairs. The four of them were all standing at the front of their cells, watching the stairs carefully.

A random guard came into sight and in his hands he held a girl. Her dark brown hair waved with every step the man took. Her eyes were closed. She had dried blood on the side of her face. She got it of the man with the scar, the man who smashed her head against a wall. It was clear she wasn't conscious.

The guard lay her down in the cell next to Edward's while getting threats of Altaïr and Ezio. They smashed themselves against the bars to make a rambling sound, trying to scare the guard. It didn't work though. The guard wasn't impressed.

It was Edward who noted that the guard was laying Lesia down as if she was life itself; he wasn't tossing her around the room. That's how Logan entered. When the boy entered his cell he stumbled and fell over his own feet. A guard had pushed him.

The guard locked the cell, ignored everyone else in the dungeon and walked back up the stairs. When they heard the door closing with a _bang,_ they silenced themselves.

'How is she doing, Edward?' Ezio asked. His hands were touching the bars.

Edward crawled towards the side of Lesia's cell. He touched her, inspected her for wounds. The back and the side of her head were covered in blood. Her neck was bruised. She had no wounds on her body. The only thing Edward didn't understand was the weird bruise in her neck with a dot in the middle. It was as if some sort of insect bit her. Or as if she was hit by a sleep dart. He worded his thoughts.

'Wait, let me see.' Logan peered through his cell and Edward's to look at Lesia. Edward had shifted so the boy could have a look. Edward was currently pointing at the thing. Logan couldn't see much but from what he saw he could make a conclusion.

'She is injected with something. I am guessing it was some kind of drug that made her go to sleep. But I don't know if it's the only thing she is drugged with.' He gave her a look of sympathy and fell back on his rear while staring ahead.

'Did you saw how they treated her?' Ezio had seen it too. The way that guard placed her inside the cell. Did they do it because she was a girl? No, they didn't care about that. Man, woman, boy, girl. Just a couple of hours ago, they hurt her and now all of a sudden they didn't. It wasn't logical.

'I think this is greater than we imagined.' Altaïr pinched his nose. His eyes flickered towards Logan. He gave the boy a questioning look; he knew her better than they did.

Logan wanted to say something in return when he was interrupted by Lesia. She was slowly waking up.

'Easy there,' Edward muttered. He touched her arm while watching her closely.

The first thing Lesia did without realizing it was touching her head. 'My... head...' she mumbled, her face only reflected one emotion: pain. 'Ouch.' she probably touched a sensitive spot for she pulled her hand away. Her eyes searched for something less dark and they found the blue eyes of Edward. It took a couple of moments to recognize the pirate, and then, it took another couple of moments to realize she was behind bars.

'What the hell?' It was the first thing she said and, honestly, it was the best question to ask. She didn't have to ask where or how because this question questioned everything. Lesia was peering through the darkness only to find Altaïr, Edward and Logan in the same room. Locked up. There were two lit candles hanging at both sides of the stairs. And the clear sound of raining could be heard.

'We are in a dungeon,' Ezio explained.

'Yes. And I belief we aren't in Canada anymore.' Logan tried to clean his glasses, but it didn't work. He sighed annoyed and put them back onto his nose.

'Why do you believe that?' Lesia was now sitting with her back against the wall, staring blankly ahead. She didn't sound interested at all.

'We were sitting in that stupid van for hours. I am guessing we're back in America which means that they followed us to Canada and that means...'

Lesia interrupted him. '... that we're pretty much screwed.'

Logan sighed again. 'Yes. We are.' For a moment it was silent in the dungeon. They all listened to the raindrops pouring down on whatever building they were in.

'What happened to you? We had no idea where you were.' Altaïr gave her a questioning look and Edward saw he was in pain. They beat him up pretty badly.

'I...' Lesia was deep in thought. 'They interrogated me. The man with the scar... Mathias... He interrogated me. He wasn't happy with me dropping that USB-stick in the water.' Her eyes darted towards Logan and she said in a quieter tone: 'I am sorry for dropping that thing in the water.' She had seen the eyes of Logan when she had done it. All the work, the journey to that stupid building, everything... it was lost. Ubisoft wasn't stupid to let kids break in their building for a second time. She had thought Logan wanted her to drop it, but when she had done it, she realized she misinterpreted the looks he had gave her.

'Actually,' Logan started. 'It's fine. What I did after you dropped it, was show. I wanted to let them know that everything was lost while it really wasn't. You think I'm that stupid? Those files aren't lost. They are on my secured laptop,' he said matter-of-factly. He looked pleased with himself.

Lesia sighed. She hadn't lost her mind just yet. 'And where is your secured laptop?'

And, at last, it was Logan who was silence for a moment. 'I... don't know.'

Edward wasn't stupid either. He knew what this meant. Without that laptop he couldn't go home. 'We have a big problem then.'

'No shit,' Lesia replied sarcastically without looking up.

'Our problem is worse than just that laptop, _amico mio_. We can't escape this dungeon without the keys.' Ezio kicked against his locked cell door in frustration and sighed.

'So we need to get the keys...' Lesia said slowly, not really following what the problem was. They were Assassins for God's sake. They should know how to get keys.

'We can't. No guard will show up when one of us – or all of us – is screaming.' Edward sighed. These men were probably not even going to feed them for they were destined to die in this rotten dungeon somewhere in a distant future. If he told Adéwalé of his adventures his mate would probably think he is crazy. The man already thought he was crazy so it really wouldn't matter. But why was he thinking about _that_ life when he really needed to concentrate on this one? The pirate pushed his thoughts of his beloved Jackdaw and the smell of saltwater away and glanced over to Lesia who wasn't listening – just like him – to Altaïr, Ezio and Logan discussing, yet again, the topic of escaping. But these cells weren't familiar to none of the Assassins, just as the locks weren't familiar to them. Everyone knew that escaping wasn't an option – not without the keys – so the only other thing left to do was waiting. Waiting until something happened.

_Lesia_

The girl was staring at nothing in particular. She didn't even notice that her friends started talking to each other. Her head was ignoring everybody except her own mind. Maybe it was for the better; she still had the feeling that someone was smashing her brains out with a hammer. She couldn't touch her head because it hurt too much. When she did touch her head she felt an agonizing pain through her whole body and she experienced a dizziness that could make her fall to the ground. Lucky for her she was already sitting on the ground. That was also the reason why her pants were wet; the ground was wet. She wanted to sleep _badly _but this voice in her head kept saying to do the opposite: _stay alert._

Lesia stood, grabbed the bars for balance and for a moment stared ahead, waiting until the dizziness had drifted away. Then she turned to Logan, still holding on to the bars of the cell. 'So you put the files on your laptop. Did you, perchance, have seen those files while doing so?' She didn't know what to expect of those files but whatever was in those things... It was enough to lock kids up. Enough to kill for. It was important. The only question remained... Why did Mathias want them? Did he, too, wanted to know what was in those files? If that was so, it wasn't logical. Why didn't he just break in to Ubisoft then? If they could do it, Mathias could do it too.

Logan cleared his throat uncomfortably, while giving Lesia an unreadable expression which he also gave to the three men. 'I've seen... glimpses.' His words were so soft Lesia needed to make an effort to hear them. She frowned. Logan knew something and he didn't tell them?

'Come on, man, spill it then,' Edward snapped impatiently.

'Well, it- it was a little...' It was the first time that Lesia had seen Logan like this. Stuttering, whispering, not knowing how to pronounce a decent sentence. It was the first time she saw a boy. A normal boy. Of course Logan was a boy but not this boy. He looked confused and tiny. The boy she knew was too smart for his own good and arrogant. Were the files that bad?

'Well,' Logan took a moment to get his thoughts right. 'It is hard to believe that those files are right.'

Lesia rolled her eyes in frustration. The distances he had to travel to get to the freaking point. 'Explain?'

Logan ran a hand through his hair. 'According to those files Ubisoft was indeed in some crazy shit. And every journalist who questioned them had every right to do so. You remember the Knights Templar?'

Lesia gave him an uncomprehending look. 'Of course. They are the sworn enemies of these guys,' she gestured toward the Assassins, 'and they are mentioned in history. I think they had something to do with the Holy Grail.' She tried to guess what the boy was trying to say, but she had no idea. 'Why?'

'Yes, well, that last bit is rumoured. Someone probably made it up – doesn't matter, the thing is... Ubisoft are Templars.'

_\\_

_A__mico mio – my friend _


	9. Great escape

**Yo guys!**

**Back with another chapter! And honestly, idk what to say to you guys. You are all too kind and my heart can't handle this. =]**

**Aaaaaand, Roflmao101, the dark side is fun. You should give it a try.**

**As usual: have a good day and enjoy le chapitre!**

* * *

Lesia blinked a few times. 'Excuse me?'

'Ubisoft are Templars, according to the files we stole. They are the Abstergo Industries in this world.' Lesia wanted to say something, but Logan interrupted her: 'Now don't get ahead of yourself. We don't know anything for sure, but whatever is in those files... It is big. And we need to get them back.'

It was clear that Logan didn't want to tell more about it in here, so Lesia didn't ask more. But her thoughts were tangled. Ubisoft? Templars? It was the most absurd thing she had ever heard in her life. The historical Templars weren't even... alive. Or, better said, their presence wasn't known. And the Templars of the games... That wasn't possible, was it?

No one else had time to speak their minds because suddenly a soft _bang _was heard. It was quite clear that the sound came from the door at the top of the stairs. The Assassins were immediately on their guard, standing at the front of their cells. It was silence in the dungeon. The only thing that could be heard was the rain.

A guard came into view and there was something off about him. His expression, his eyes... and of course the bags of Logan he was carrying. The suitcase of Logan with his spy stuff and the bag where he puts his laptop. He lay them down carefully on the ground and then he was searching for something on his body. Lesia couldn't stray her eyes from the pistol resting on the guy's hips. She thanked God that he didn't grab it. Instead, he grabbed keys. _Keys?_

'You need to get out of here,' the guard said in a hushed tone while placing the key in the keyhole. He unlocked Lesia's cell door; it swung open without making a sound. 'My name is Ryan,' he was already unlocking Edward's cell door. 'I will help you escape this place.'

'Why?' Logan asked quizzical when he was standing outside his cell. He wasn't complaining, he just didn't see the logic in it. Lesia was amazed that he hadn't already gave up on logic – three Assassins were standing in the same room!

'Because what we are going to do with you is not humane.' He was silent for a moment. 'I got your stuff. Phones, laptop... We didn't get access to the laptop. Tomorrow experts would take another look at it, but that's not going to happen. I've made sure your phones can not be traced, so you guys can continue the road you were following before all this.' The blonde man stood on the steps eyeing everyone. Ezio had the bag with the laptop while Edward was holding the suitcase. Lesia knew that they didn't trust Ryan completely, but he knew the building. They didn't have a choice but to trust him and pray that he didn't betray them. That he didn't lead them in some kind of trap.

'Stay silent and close, I will lead you out of the building.' That were the last words he spoke before he turned around and walked up the stairs. Ezio and Edward followed, then the kids and finally Altaïr.

When they were finally out of the dungeon, Lesia felt relieved. The weight that had been pressing on her chest was gone. She felt so much better now she was finally out of the darkness and had stepped in a room that was covered in colourful paintings.

They were currently sneaking – even though there was no one around – through the hallways. It occurred to her that the building they were currently in was as normal as Ubisoft Montreal. It was just a building. They needed to go up another pair of stairs and through a door. When they were walking through the last hallway (Ryan had said that the exit was just around the corner) they stopped walking abruptly.

Lesia wasn't really... present... so she bumped into Logan. She gave him an annoyed glare, but his eyes were eyeing something in front of him. She dared to look at the same thing and what she saw made her heart stop and her breath caught.

Five men with guns were blocking the doorway. The man in the middle spoke: 'Boss thought you were up to something, Ryan. He was right. Word was that you couldn't watch the girl getting injected...' Lesia frowned. Injected? What did that mean? She remembered the noises coming from behind the mirror just before the guards gave Mathias the injection. Had _he_ been the one who screamed? She thought someone had screamed to scare her while the man actually had screamed in objection.

'Nick, please, just let them through. Don't you know what they are going to do with them?' Ryan tried to reason with the man and even though Lesia saw a glimpse of understanding in his eyes, he wasn't letting anyone through.

'I have my orders, Ryan.' Nick had pulled out his gun and was currently loading it. Lesia didn't understand why Ryan wasn't pulling _his_ gun out as well. She watched as the man pulled back the slide of his semi-automatic pistol. 'You should have listened to yours.'

Suddenly Lesia heard the same sound behind her: someone had just loaded a gun. She turned around only to find Mathias pointing his gun towards Altaïr who, too, had turned around. Behind him more men were blocking the hallway. He was about to shoot. Lesia was sure of it.

'No!'

Before she knew what she was doing, – or planned to do – she was already standing between Altaïr and Mathias. The gun was now pointing to her head. 'Don't shoot...' Her voice pleaded but her mind wasn't even processing this normally. Her actions were senseless, foolish, _idiotic. _She wasn't even thinking straight. Her heart was in her throat, her hands were sweaty, but she stood her ground. She would hate herself if one of the Assassins died. They appeared in _her _living room. _They are my responsibility._

Mathias raised a brow. 'Get out of the way, _Lesia._ It's not your turn yet.'

His words gave her a shiver down her spine. Not yet? She didn't understand him. What had she done to deserve his wrath? She had never stared death in the eyes. She had never done something wrong! She was only sixteen! Normal kids didn't have to deal with guns pointed in their faces. Or three fictional characters. Or gunshots in cupboards. Or crazy, lunatic friends who are too smart for their own good suggesting to rob some game developer.

Her legs were frozen. She saw the expression on Mathias' face slowly turning in to anger. When she was sure he was going to hit her and shoot Altaïr, a shot was fired from behind her. Out of nowhere Ezio appeared. He slammed his body against Mathias' while his hands went for the gun. A bullet was fired before Mathias smacked painfully against the wall. Ezio had saved her though; the bullet didn't hit her. It hit a painting that hung on the wall.

People were now fighting. She got shoved out of the way by Altaïr who ran towards the men behind Mathias. Somehow he got his hands on a gun which he forcefully grabbed out of a guard's hands. He didn't know how to shoot it, but that didn't matter. He smashed the thing against heads as if it was a bat. Behind her Edward was also holding a gun, but he _was_ shooting and smashing people with the suitcase. Ryan was struggling with Nick. Their bodies were slamming against walls while they were both holding the gun, trying not to let the other win. Logan and Lesia were the only ones standing in the middle watching in horror what was happening and jumping by every gunshot.

It didn't take Nick long to get the upper hand. With his elbow he gave Ryan a nosebleed. Within a second he pointed the gun towards the head of Ryan. Lesia saw the expression in the eyes of Ryan. First anger, then betrayal and finally... acceptance. She thought that Nick would pull the trigger, but he didn't. Instead, his eyes flashed for a second between the two kids and then he hit Ryan with the back of the gun. Ryan sank to his knees. Unconsciousness. But not dead. Yet.

Lesia got pulled out of whatever she was in by Ezio who was still struggling with Mathias. They deflected and dodged attacks of each other. 'Get out of here! Now!'

For a reason she wasn't processing what he was saying. His lips moved, but she didn't hear him.

'_Figlio di puttana!' _ he growled when another shot was fired from Mathias' gun. Again it didn't hit anybody. It was enough, though, to startle Lesia: she snapped back into reality. The words finally reached her brain. She turned around, grabbed Logan's hand and together they ran towards the door. She noted that she had stepped in someone's blood and she couldn't feel dirtier.

They rammed the door open and ran until they still could see the entrance from a safe distance. It was raining really hard and they were both soaked to the bone already. It was an ordinary building in a city she didn't recognize. A building every city had: the what-could-be-possibly-going-on-in-a-building-like-that building. There weren't any street lights around – or maybe they weren't working – and therefore it was dark. Lesia was still holding Logan's hand and wasn't planning on letting him go anytime soon. His hand was as shaky as hers.

While they stood there, waiting, she felt that the weight had come back. And that wasn't the only thing that bothered her; there was a nasty ringing in her ears caused by the gunshots. She was squeezing Logan's hand too hard, therefore he had to let go. Nobody said a word. Both now realized how high the price was. Lives. Lives were at stake. Lesia would never forget the final expression of Ryan. Acceptance. He had accepted his fate. But Nick hadn't pulled the trigger even though Ryan thought he would. It was horrible nevertheless. It was terrible. Going on a holiday with her mother and stepfather wasn't so bad anymore. Hell, it was wonderful. Better than the shit she was in right now. Shit she wouldn't get out. This little adventure that she, first, didn't even take seriously, had turned into something major. _What if the police found out? The government? What if Altaïr, Ezio and Edward couldn't go home? Did she had to hide them forever? Run for her life? Move to Europe? _She was scared. Scared to the bone. There was only one thought in her mind; she wanted to go home.

Finally the door of the building opened up and the three hooded men walked out of it. Altaïr had placed his right hand on his ribs, Ezio was slightly limping and Edward looked fine. But his head was covered by his hood, so she couldn't tell if he really was fine. Ezio and Edward were still holding the bags of Logan, which was the thing they desperately needed an hour ago.

They almost immediate knew where the two kids were standing and walked over.

'Are you okay?' Edward asked. Lesia tried to ignore the blood on their clothes.

'Fine,' she stuttered. Nope, she was definitely _not_ fine. She was physically in pain. Her head was pounding like an idiot, she was dizzy and was seeing black spots in her vision due to her exhaustion. 'Is Mathias...'

'Mathias is still alive. He retreated with Nick and Ryan. We gotta keep moving,' Edward answered. He glanced back to the building, keeping an eye on everything.

'Yes,' Logan agreed, nodding. 'We need to get to somewhere dry.'

So they started walking. The rain was refreshing but cold. She could use a nice, warm shower, a change of clothes, something to eat and a bed. Especially a bed. Lesia was walking next to Logan who was holding his phone. It wasn't smart to pull out your phone in weather like this, but Logan didn't seem to care. He was texting someone.

'Who are you texting?' Lesia asked curiously.

'My mom. She thought that I would only stay one night at your house. Not two.' _Oh, that's right. He was sleeping over at her place. _She almost forgot.

'Your mother is nice,' Lesia said while thinking of the blonde woman.

Logan grumbled. 'She is annoying.' Her friendliness and constant happiness annoyed him. She always tried to get him out of the house, but he was just fine sitting in his basement all by himself. He wasn't a people person. Lesia knew that. When she thought parents were nice, their kids always hated them for it. With her mother it was the same. She knew her weaknesses. And in her imagination a parent shouldn't have a weakness. It was stupid, she knew that, stupid and not fair. She didn't hate her mother, well, sometimes when she chose the side of her stepfather instead of hers. And that happened a lot. She was actually glad his car was parked in Canada and the keys were still in Mathias' building.

'And your father? I have only seen him in the painting on your wall. He looked... serious.' Lesia was for some reason interested in his life. She wanted to get to know him. After all, they had been in the same class for a couple of years. And, he was rich. Rich people always had a different kind of life. Most of the times it weren't happy lives. Money could buy you a lot of things but those things only filled a certain amount of happiness. The other part of your happiness that would stay empty, couldn't be filled with money.

Logan gave her an inquiring look. 'Why do you want to know?' It was almost threatening.

'Dude, chill. I was just curious. Jeez.' Lesia folded her arms while eyeing the pavement. She got it; he didn't want to talk about his life. He just could have said _that_ instead of being a douche about it.

They were walking for over two hours and the rain wasn't pouring anymore luckily. Suddenly she recognized the street they were in and stopped in her tracks. 'We are almost home,' she said in disbelief. Why were they that close to their own homes? It was as if Mathias just played them. He just played games with them. They were only participants, he was the dealer.

'I know. First we are going to your house so that I can get my stuff and go home. In a couple of hours I will be back and we'll find out what's on my laptop.' Logan already had made plans, already knew what was going on. Why did he never told her what was going on. It didn't matter now but in the not-so-distant future it would matter.

'Home? Isn't that the obvious place to go for us?'

Logan looked ahead. 'It is. But Mathias won't get to you or me. It is almost morning. He won't do anything that would involve two kids in the middle of the day.'

He had a point. So they walked towards her home. Still she didn't like it that Mathias' building was so close to her house. But when she finally reached her house, the sun was already rising. She managed to get out of her clothes, tell the Assassins where they could find the first aid kit. She told them if they found clothes they could wear them, she gave them blankets, they could take a shower if they wanted... By the time she finally reached her bed the sun was shining bright. She didn't care that she smelled, or that she didn't do anything about her head... She was too tired to deal with any more shit.

_Logan_

With his laptop clammed to his chest and his 'sleepover bag' in his hands, he walked across the street. He pushed his glasses back on his nose and thought about his mother. What would she say when he saw his glasses? He kept a pair of glasses in his basement, but that meant he had to go inside and that meant his mother would see the crack. And probably make a big deal out of it. So he decided to let his mom know that he 'lost' his glasses. Before he entered his street, he threw his glasses in a litter bin. Without glasses he wasn't blind. He just saw a couple of vague shapes that looked like trees and houses. He just had to deal with it.

Logan noticed the two cars parked on their usual spots. Both of his parents were home. His eyes glanced over the wall where he found his surname on a wooden plate. Hayward. Then he knocked on the door. It was his mother that opened the door. She was smiling, fresh out of the shower, neatly dressed. As usual. When she saw her filthy son without glasses, her smile disappeared.

'What happened?' she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, closing the door behind him. 'Where are your glasses?'

Logan tried to make himself decent, but it was no use. 'I lost my glasses. The second night Lesia and I wanted to stay awake and walk around the city. So we did. It was fun until it started raining.' He smiled as if nothing was wrong. When he saw that his mother wasn't really getting it he added: 'Mom, it's what kids do these days.'

Lindsey shrugged. 'Alright. If kids do that these days... I'm glad you had fun, sweetie.' She gave him a kiss on his forehead not even saying one word about the smell he dragged with him. She went down the basement and came back after a while with his replacement glasses. They looked exactly like his old glasses, only a little bit bigger. He glanced towards the living room and he saw his father standing in front of the television, watching – he thought was – the news. When he heard the words _Ubisoft _and _Canada, _his curiosity got the better of him.

The news reporter was standing in front of the building of Ubisoft Montreal.

'Someone broke into that building,' his father, Morton Hayward, explained. Morton was a strong, businessman who didn't take 'no' for an answer and didn't like it when people didn't listen to him – which barely happened. He had a strong personality and a serious face. He was the man who earned the money. He was powerful. And that was why Logan looked up to him. In the presence of his father Logan was just a tiny, little boy who did anything to make his father proud. Logan got distracted by the news reporter:

_'__... in a fit of insanity. It isn't surprising that something like this happened. That same afternoon fans were screaming for answers. Apparently, all over the world, some of the Assassin's Creed games including Altaïr, Ezio and Edward stopped working. The fans are angry and in need of an explanation. Ubisoft, however, hasn't replied. It isn't clear yet if something is taken from the building. We do know that Ubisoft wiped their computers clean of any information whatsoever...'_

Logan didn't find the rest of the words the news reporter spoke interesting. But he found it hard to believe that they didn't know if 'something was taken'. The news probably would never find out if something was stolen, but Ubisoft knew better. They knew that one of their computers was hacked. They knew that they were outsmarted. That's why they wiped their computers clean. Wait, but that meant that the files they stole were even more precious than before. He pressed his laptop even more firmly against him.

'Have you looked at the studies I had picked out for you?' His father had muted the sound of the television and was giving him the look. The serious, giving-shivers-down-spines look. Logan avoided his gaze like he always did when her father gave him the look.

'I have.' He swallowed. 'But I'm not sure yet...'

His father nodded in understanding. 'Well take your time. It is important that you make the right decision.' The man gave him a pat on the shoulder and walked into the dining room. With every step the man took, he made the floor shake as if even the earth was afraid of pissing him off.

Logan watched him. He wanted to make his father proud and happy, but the things he wanted wasn't what he, Logan, liked. His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps, be a businessman. But he wasn't like his father; he didn't have the strong personality or the leader skills. He always wanted to do something with computers. Like his father always told him: he wanted to _hide _behind his computer. Hiding behind his computer was something he liked. It was something he was good at.

Logan sighed and went upstairs to get a shower and, then, falling asleep in his warm bed. He would take another look at the studies his father had picked out for him some other time.

_\\_

_Figlio di puttana – son of a bitch_


	10. Truths revealed

**Hey guys!**

**It's really late and I'm tired as hell but I wanted to post this one. All I can say about this one is: plottwists, plottwists everywhere. **

**_Ri-chan_****: Thank you for liking it! I really appreciate that. I noticed you had a lot of questions so I will be answering the ones that aren't really in the story. A lot of them will be explained further in the story (like in this chap and the next one) so those, too, I won't question because I'm an asshole. First of all: Abstergo isn't in this universe. It's still Ubisoft. Logan compared only the two of them.**

**Connor isn't in the game because Lesia didn't own the game when she picked up the Piece of Eden. Why Desmond isn't in the game is explained in this chap. **

**Then there's this thing about that nexus thingy and if Lesia is part of the great Assassin bloodline... I can tell you that this is not the case. She is not of the bloodline. (yup, sorry guys.) The reason why they're here is actually very simple: A Piece of Eden brought them here. :] I hope these answers help you.**

**I just have to say after that review of ****_Crazy old me _****that I'm just sooo glad you like it. This is like the tenth time I've said, but it's true. And thank you that you made it this far in the story. Really, thank you. **

**Oh, and I wanted to say that the updates may be a little slower than usual. It's getting a lil' busy around here y'know.**

**Have a good day and enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

When Lesia woke up she was still tired. She had only slept for a couple of hours. Her body, presumably, couldn't take the smell anymore so, in an act of self-defence, woke her up. It was understandable so she dragged herself out of her bed and walked into the bathroom that was located next to her bedroom. She brushed her teeth, stepped into the shower and sat down on the ground. She didn't care that she was sitting in the shower, it was safer to be near the ground. Her dizziness was still there and her head still hurt. That was probably because she hadn't done shit about it.

Washing her hair was the most painful thing she had ever done in her life and she didn't even want to think about brushing her hair afterwards. The events of the previous day were still fresh imprinted in her mind. People died that day. She almost died because she was stupid enough to jump in front of a pistol. Why? Why on earth did she do something so reckless and stupid? It saved Altaïr's life and that was all that mattered, right?

She stepped out of the shower, dried herself with a towel and got dressed. She was wearing an ordinary pants with a black t-shirt, nothing special. She glanced towards the room next to hers, the room where her mother and stepfather slept and noted that it was still closed. Edward was probably still sleeping in the bed, just like last time.

When she had made it downstairs and entered, as silently as possible, the living room she couldn't but glare at the mess. The first aid kit was held upside down so everything was laying motionless on the floor. The Assassins had searched for food – and found it. More than half of the bread was gone. She glanced over to the two Assassins who were still sleeping. Both of them had taken their clothes off and it was currently hanging somewhere to dry. She hoped they still got their pants on in order to avoid an awkward situation.

Lesia grabbed, again as silently as possible, a plate and some bread. Her stomach was growling like a tiger. She was afraid it would wake the Assassins. The girl smeared some Nutella on her bread and sat down at the table. While eating her breakfast/lunch (because it was her first meal of the day but it was also three in the afternoon) she noticed that the Assassins slept silently. No snoring of any kind – for which _she_ was nominated – or anything really. Maybe she was weird by watching them sleep, probably, but they would never find out anyway. Or maybe they were just playing with her and acting as if they were asleep. She didn't know.

When she was done with her breakfast/lunch, she reached for the cupboard above the kitchen. She tried to ignore the hole that was shot by Edward the first day and grabbed something for her head. A painkiller. Her stepfather was a migraine sufferer since child, so they had all these kind of pills in the house.

Once she had taken the painkiller, she heard the sound of a human body shifting on the couch. She turned, the glass of water still in her hand, looking for the one who had moved. It was Altaïr. He had woken up and was currently sitting on the couch. The blanket wrapped around him. He was currently wiping a hand over his face.

'Good afternoon,' she greeted before taking a sip of her drink. The girl gave him a worried glance. 'Are your ribs okay?'

Altaïr inhaled deeply. 'They are fine.' Lesia didn't know if he was a world class liar or that his ribs were really fine. Maybe he was a fast healer, he was – after all – not out of this world.

The Arab stood. The blanket fell on the couch, showing his bare torso. And a pants. 'You don't know how happy I am that you're wearing pants,' she smirked while leaning against the kitchen counter.

He gave her a funny look, then glanced over to his pants and finally back at her. 'Well...' he started, not too sure of what to say back. 'I am happy too?'

Lesia chuckled and watched as the man came closer. Altaïr grabbed the white vest she gave him and held it in front of him. 'This clothing is ruined.'

Lesia put her glass on the table and walked over to his side. She gave the vest a glance and nodded in agreement. 'I don't think police officers will appreciate the amount of blood on this thing. I'll throw it away.' She took the vest of Altaïr and, while doing so, noticed not only how fit he actually was, but also the scars that were scattered all over his body.

'The Creed comes with a price huh,' she mumbled while walking over to the trash can and throwing her stepfather's vest away. Ezio and Edward probably had the same kind of scars.

'A price that I will pay without hesitation.' He waited until she was standing in front of him, so that they could talk face-to-face. 'I just wanted to say thank you. You saved my life.' He wasn't smiling but his eyes had this genuine glance. He was honest. And grateful.

'Well...' she started. 'Don't get attached to me saving your ass for I won't do it again. It was stupid.' She had walked back to the table where her glass was still standing. 'But I'm glad I did it. We can't send a dead Altaïr back to Masyaf now, can we?' Lesia let a smile creep onto her face and raised her glass just a little. The girl pointed to it. 'You want one?'

Altaïr nodded.

'Make that two.'

Both Lesia and Altaïr turned to see Ezio sitting on the couch. He was smirking and wearing his vest. Lesia didn't even dared to ask if he had slept in it.

While she grabbed two glasses and poured water in them, she heard that someone just stepped into the shower. Edward.

'You two are _adorabile_.' He chuckled while taking the glass Lesia gave to him.

'And _you_ should take a shower. Both of you. I think the world becomes a happier place if you do so.'

Now they were both glaring at her. She laughed and silence fell upon the room. When Edward was finished in the shower, Ezio went. And after that it was Altaïr who stepped into it. She got Altaïr some new clothes, threw the clothes of Edward and Ezio in the washing machine and talked until Logan was at the door.

Lesia opened the door for him and wanted to say something. A greeting like _hey, how are you _or just a _hi. _But, because it was Logan, he was already inside her house before she could say anything. She sighed. 'Well hello to you too.' She closed the door and went to the living room where Logan was already starting his laptop.

'I already have looked through some of the information... A lot of things have nothing to do with what we're looking for. Because we're...' He was already clicking on his laptop like a maniac. '... looking for... this.' His screen turned white with text. He scrolled up and down just to show her (and the Assassins who were now standing behind them) how much it was. And it was a lot.

'Jesus Christ,' she said in disbelief. 'That is a lot.'

Logan nodded serious. 'It is. But I'm sure half of it isn't even going to tell us the things we need. And some things are written in French and other languages...' He gave everyone a glance. 'I don't think it will help us forward when we're all looking at the same screen.'

Lesia wanted to roll her eyes but restraint herself. 'What do you want us to do?'

'Sit on the couch so that I don't get distracted.'

'You can easily keep valuable information to yourself,' she countered.

Logan furrowed his brows. 'Why would I keep information to myself?' he asked.

'You are the smart one, Logan. You tell me.' Lesia gave the boy a keen look. He grumbled.

'Fine. You can stay. But they need to sit.' He didn't give her another glance, assuming that she would handle it. Lesia only gave them an apologetic glance, watching as Edward raised his hands while shrugging.

'Whatever you say, mate.' The Assassins turned around and sat on the couch, talking, while the kids faced the laptop. Logan was scrolling down the files and it was hard for Lesia to keep up. She barely read any word. Sometimes Logan would stop and read something that caught his eye and when it wasn't the thing they were looking for, he started to scroll again. It wasn't really clear what they were looking for. Something about the Assassins. Something about Ubisoft. Just... something.

Lesia got a headache of the screen so she wasn't really paying attention when Logan nudged her arm. 'We now know for real that Ubisoft are Templars.' Logan pointed towards the screen. 'But that isn't the only mind blowing thing. Assassins are real too. The war between the Templars and Assassins is very much real and started, just like in the games, a very long time ago. And...' Logan was now shaking her left and right in disbelief and excitement. 'They are real.' He pointed towards the Assassins.

'Did we have to go through all that shit just to let you know that we are real? We could've just said that the first day we came here... Oh wait, we did.' Edward gave the kids a glare, but they ignored him.

'What?'

'They are real Lesia. They are just as real as Mark Twain, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.'

Lesia was a little overwhelmed by this information. 'They aren't fictional? The games are just... based upon historical events and characters? Well, we already knew that but they... existed?'

Logan nodded. 'They existed.'

Lesia took a minute to let this all sink in and ordered her thoughts. 'So... If they are real, the games are real... And you said back in the cells that you can compare Ubisoft to Abstergo Industries... Does that mean that the Animus is also real? And Desmond? Does he exist?'

Logan turned back towards his laptop. 'I already gave Desmond a thought. It would be logical that Desmond is real, because it's the only reason I can think of why he didn't appear with them. He already exists. However, there's no mention in these files about Desmond or the Animus. Of course, they probably changed the name of the real Desmond if he _did _exist. But we don't know. If he did exist I would say he's dead. In the games he's dead too. Then again, you said you found a Piece of Eden in the Black Flag game and when you picked it up, they appeared. Edward didn't even experience this just before he... _poofed._ So, the not-so-logical logical explanation of all this could be... you.'

'Me?' she raised a brow.

'Yes. You are the one who picked up that damn thing. Maybe you thought about those three. Or maybe you just hated Desmond and Connor or the third game or... I don't know. Something weird. And that's why they appeared.'

Lesia nodded slowly while staring at the screen. So much information. The world only knew so little. 'And Assassins? Are they here? And for the record, I love Haytham. And you don't see him sitting on the couch.'

'And for the better! Don't you know how awkward that situation would be?' Logan sighed and gave her a glance. 'Anyway, I think they are here. And...' He scrolled down only to show an address. 'We've got an address!'

Lesia narrowed her eyes. 'Peter Morris...' She furrowed her brows and looked at Logan. 'Is it an Assassin?'

He shrugged. 'These are Templar files. It says here that he or she is no friend of theirs. I believe it is an alias.' Logan gave her a smart look. 'A false name.'

She rolled her eyes. 'I know what _alias_ means, asshole.'

He let a smile creep on his face. His eyes twinkled. 'Either way, we should check it out. Maybe he or she could help us.'

Lesia grabbed the mouse and started scrolling until she was at the end of the files. In Italics it said: _Thousand pieces of colored glass where fingers will always intertwine. Surrounded by blades of green grass, in possession of the Divine._

'A riddle?' she thought aloud.

'Your skills in observation are astonishing,' Logan replied sarcastic. 'It doesn't matter, we've got ourselves an address.' He closed his laptop. 'I'll call my driver. He will drive us. Saratoga Springs isn't that far.'

'You got a driver? You let _me_ drive to Canada while _you_ have your driver on speed dial?!'

'He would tell my mother that he drove me to Canada. So calling my driver for something like that isn't a thing. Now shush.' He was already walking out of the room with his phone pressed against his ear.

Lesia shook her head in disbelief. She gave the Assassins an expectant look, but none of them said anything. She then sat down on the couch and suggested that they – if they were hungry – should get something to eat. And they did. They were currently standing in the kitchen, grabbing some bread. Altaïr was staring into the refrigerator while Ezio and Edward were fighting over the last slice of bread. It was ridiculous. Lesia blinked a few times just to make sure that she really, _really, _wasn't dreaming. She still couldn't believe it.

Meanwhile, Logan was done with the call and walked over to her and sat down beside her. For a moment he was looking at the Assassins who were now trying to get something out of the fridge. At the same time. He then sucked in a deep breath and said:

'I'm sorry for being so blunt.' He gave her a glance and swallowed the pride he had.

'Blunt? That is really putting it lightly because honestly... you're a dick. You hate everyone, belittle everyone as if you're some kind of king. Newsflash, you're not. You are smarter than me, and than them, but that doesn't give you the right to...'

'I know,' he interrupted reluctantly. 'You don't have to explain to me who I am. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for yesterday. When you brought up the topic of my father.'

Lesia sighed. 'It's fine. You clearly don't want to talk about it so I'll keep my mouth shut.' She made a movement in front of her lips as if she turned a lock. Her eyes glanced over the floor towards the Assassins. Ezio was currently holding the slice of bread while his foot was pressed on Altaïr's chest (to keep him at bay) while pressing Edward against the window. The girl didn't want to know what the neighbours would think about this if they saw.

'You know...' Logan started slowly. 'You know what my father said when I came top at elementary school? I had won the sprint. He said: _That is not a surprise, you get so much practice by running away from all your problems! _It was a joke. I know it was a joke but... in every joke there is a grain of truth, right?' Their eyes met and Lesia saw a glimpse of sadness in the boy's eyes.

'That is... terrible. Why would he say something like that?' She finally realized how his life really was. 'Logan? Why do we have the same classes?'

He frowned, surprised by the odd question. 'Because we both chose economics,' he replied matter-of-factly.

'I chose economics, yes. Did you?' she looked keenly at him so that if he lied, she would know. But he didn't lie. Logan didn't say a word. He avoided her gaze and stared at the floor. And this was her answer. 'You are doing it because it will make your father happy,' she concluded. He wanted his father's approval, something he never had in his life. She got it now. His personality, his life... She had figured it out.

'You don't have to tell me that it's bad. That it will not make me happy. I already had these conversations,' he hissed bluntly. His old-self was back.

'I don't have to,' she whispered. Her eyes went to the Assassins who were done fighting and were now talking while walking back to the couch. They had food in their hands. 'You already know.'

Waiting on the driver didn't take that long. Logan told them it was his mother's driver and he would be sent to a street behind the real street so he wasn't completely aware of where they were. Lesia wasn't sure if this was a good idea but nothing was, really, when you're with Logan. So they just got to handle the situation as it was.

It was an hour drive to Saratoga Springs and their destination. The car hadn't exactly been a limousine (why the hell had she expected that) but they still arrived in style. Sitting in the backseat with three Assassins for a _freaking _hour was terrible. Edward and Ezio had been joking with each other and had been teasing Altaïr who really wanted to punch both of them. Lesia had decided to give them back their hidden blades (as long as they stayed _hidden_) but refused to give back the pistol to Edward. With Mathias lurking around every corner the Assassins needed their stuff.

Lesia turned around to look at the empty street. The sun was already sinking when they entered the street of Peter Morris. The driver had said that he would grab a bite in a nearby restaurant so they didn't have to worry about him.

'Easy, _bambina. _If someone is following us, we would know. Trust me.' Ezio gave her a reassuring smile but Lesia could only think about Mathias and his ugly scar. She was a bit paranoid, but she just didn't want to see him ever again. It was as simple as that.

'Here it is,' Logan said while looking up from his phone and examined the house. Peter Morris lived in a terraced house with a neat, little front yard. The house looked big – bigger than her house – and at the same time kind of cosy. Was there a possibility that this man or woman would help them really? Lesia didn't think so. But as Logan said... it was worth the try. So they knocked on the door.

And the door opened.

A man in his late 30's, maybe early 40's had answered the door. He had dark, short hair and blue eyes.

Lesia dropped her phone. She didn't even notice that it clattered on the ground or that all eyes, for a couple of seconds, focused on her. Her expression changed into a lot of emotions, but it was mostly shock that was written all over her face. Frozen to the ground, she watched the man. And she could see that he was surprised as well. It was impossible. This was impossible. Was she, now, finally, losing her mind?

Lesia blinked a couple of times and sucked in a breath.

'Dad?'

/

_adorabile - adorable_


	11. New answers, old wounds

**Hello people!**

**New chaaaaaapt. I really liked to write this one. Dunno why. Again, a lot of answers are given in this so I hope you like it.**

**So that's it for today. Peace out. **

**Have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

She was still staring in shock towards the man. The man. Her father. The father she hadn't seen since she was a child. For five years he had been in her life just like any normal father and then, just like that, got a divorce and vanished to be never seen again. He never wrote, called or even visited. He didn't even fight to be her parent. He just... disappeared.

Peter Morris, whose real name was actually Jack Amlee (Lesia still had the same surname), cleared his throat while glancing over the three men and the two kids. 'You'd better come inside,' he said silently while holding the door so that everyone could pass him.

Logan was the first who walked passed him while the three Assassins looked trapped. They glanced back to Lesia who wasn't noticing anything and then they, too, went inside. Slowly but surely.

Jack, who noticed everything, saw the bruises in her neck and the exhaustion that was written all over his daughter's face. Though he said nothing. He knew it was better to not speak to her at the moment.

Lesia blinked a few times, swallowed the lump that, apparently, had formed in her throat, grabbed her phone off the ground which she had dropped and walked inside without even giving the man a glance. He didn't deserve it.

She stepped into a small hallway where coats were hanging at her left side while a stairs went up at her right. For a brief moment she was scared that he may had found another family. And that they were currently living with him but, to her relief, that wasn't the case. The girl walked through a door and arrived in a living room. In the middle of the room stood a TV on a bookcase. Two couches were facing it. They were standing on some kind of old carpet. At the far wall there was a dinner table located against it. The kitchen was next to the table located and had different floorboards. One giant bookcase was located at her left, completely full with different kind of books (especially old ones). A door was located next to the bookcase. She assumed it was a bedroom or bathroom.

'You've got a lot of explaining to do Mr. Morris, or should I say Mr. Amlee?' Logan was, as usual, holding the bag of his laptop against his chest. He didn't look fierce or convinced at all, but he sounded like it.

'My advisors told me that kids were involved in the robbing of Ubisoft. I couldn't believe it until now. And I prefer Mr. Amlee. Or Jack.' He gave Lesia a glance who didn't seem to progress this conversation. 'Please, sit.'

Logan, Lesia and Ezio sat down on the couch across from Jack. Ezio in the middle. He kept an eye on Lesia who wasn't planning on saying anything. It was almost heartbreaking to see her like this. He didn't know much of her family, but he knew a broken family when he saw one.

Edward and Altaïr were currently walking around the living room, inspecting it. They were just making sure whether it was safe or not.

Jack inhaled deeply while giving everyone a serious glance. 'I can answer the questions you have, but before I do this, I need to hear your story.' It occurred to Lesia that he had the same eyes as when she looked in the mirror. The same deep blue eyes. It annoyed her even more.

'That seems fair,' Logan said as if he just had made a golden deal. His head turned towards Lesia, waiting until she would start the story. After all, it all started with her. But she wasn't planning on saying anything to her father, so Logan cleared his throat uncomfortably. 'Well, it all started with Lesia. She picked up a, presumably, Piece of Eden in-game with Edward. And suddenly they appeared in her living room.' He gave the Assassins a look. 'They kind of ran away and she came to my house asking for help. So I helped. We found them and wanted to help them return home so we went to Canada to steal Ubisoft's files, hoping that there was an answer written in it. I uploaded the files to my laptop and that's when it became complicated.'

'Complicated or just damn straight ugly. Choose your pick.' Edward, who was finished investigating, sat down beside Jack.

Jack gave Logan a questioning glance, waiting until he continued his story.

'Well, we got surrounded by people with semi-automatic weapons and bulletproof vests. Lesia had destroyed the USB-stick and got beaten down because of it. We needed to get into a van and drove back to America where Lesia and I got interrogated by a man named Mathias. He drugged Lesia put us in some sort of dungeon where we supposed to die I think. Either way, we got out with the help of an enemy, looked in the files and found your address.' Everyone realized that they had been already through a lot and it was silent for a moment in the room. Meanwhile, Altaïr sat down at the other side of Jack and joined the conversation.

'Mathias... That son of a bitch,' Jack murmured under his breath to great surprise of everyone.

'You know the guy?' Ezio asked curiously. Jack nodded.

'Of course I know the guy. Who do you think that gave him the ugly scar?'

Lesia's eyes widened upon hearing this. Suddenly it became clear to her why Mathias acted the way he did when he interrogated her or when he said that it wasn't her turn yet to die by his hand. Or, at that moment, gun. He wanted revenge. 'Oh my God,' Lesia said without making a sound. Her lips barely moved.

Jack sighed. 'If you've read the files you'll probably know that the Templar and Assassin war is real. And that they aren't someone's imagination.' Jack nodded toward the Assassins. 'Mathias is part of the Templar Order. Some even say he is Grand Master. We, however, don't know if this is true. If he is we've got a big problem. If he isn't... I don't think I want to know who is.'

'Wait...' Logan said frowning. '_We_? Who do you mean by _'__we'_? Your advisors?' It was the first time that someone else already had figured it out before Logan.

'He is an Assassin,' Altaïr explained as if it was nothing. To Logan and Lesia, however, it was a big deal. And Logan had a loss for words. He, just, didn't know what to say for a moment.

'And the _enemy _that helped you, was actually also an Assassin. He was our eyes and ears in the Order, highly undercover. He had to blow his cover for you to get you out. He probably recognized Lesia's surname and _your_ faces.' Jack swallowed and for a second it was completely silent. 'He was executed this morning by his own brother, Nick. We found his body dumped in a river.'

With every word her father said, the situation got worse. Mathias wanted revenge, they killed Ryan an undercover Assassin... Everything was turning out in ways that never thought was possible. Everything at this point sucked.

'Mr. Amlee, is there a way to get these Assassins back to their stories? To their lives?' The sentence was carefully phrased by Logan and his words were spoken quietly. It looked as if he was almost afraid to ask it. Lesia was. And she was afraid of the answer.

Jack looked serious while tasting the question on his tongue. 'Actually,' he finally said thoughtful. 'I think there is. But it's not going to be easy.'

It was Edward who replied. He had a hopeful expression in his eyes, honestly, they all had. 'Difficult doesn't mean impossible. What is it, lad? How can we go home?'

'I think the answer is the beginning of how you got here in the first place: a Piece of Eden. The Apple. I don't know how it grabbed you all out of your lives and put you in this century, then again an Apple of Eden is an extraordinary piece of unthinkable power that even we, in this time, haven't figured out,' he explained.

'So we just have to find a Piece of Eden?' Logan made it sound as it was easy. He was surprised, he thought it would be harder.

'That's the problem. I don't think _one_ will work. I think we need one for each Assassin so they can return home safely and not in pieces.'

'Three Pieces of Eden?!' This time Logan made it sound as if it was impossible. It probably was.

'Are there even that many Pieces of Eden?' Ezio wondered aloud. He wasn't even sure what it was, but it sounded posh.

Jack moistened his lips while nodding again. 'In total there are six Apples of Eden. One is destroyed, two are in possession of the Templars and the remaining three are somewhere hidden in the world. Their current location is unknown.'

'Well isn't that just great,' Logan mumbled sarcastically. 'I mean, the Assassins don't even have one Apple in their hands? That is just disappointing.' This was the kind of commentary that pissed Jack off even though he remained calm.

'Only in the United States there are less than ten Assassins alive. That is not much. I don't even know how many Assassins are alive in other continents. Altogether we may reach the hundred, but that is nothing compared to the Templars. They are with thousands.' Jack gave the boy a hard look. 'I know how to get the first Piece of Eden. Three Templar brothers know where one of the Apples is hidden because one of them placed it there. I know that we need all three of them to talk for they only know pieces. One knows the location, one knows how to open it and one knows what's inside.'

Logan sucked in a breath. 'So we only need two of them. We already know what's inside.'

Jack shook his head. 'No, we need the third too. Trust me.' He rose from the couch, probably to get something.

'How do you suggest to get this information? I assume negotiating with them isn't going to work.' Logan looked up to watch Mr. Amlee in the eyes. The Assassins gave each other a knowing look.

'By doing what we are known for. We assassinate them.'

Lesia hadn't said anything. Her thoughts were tangled, her head was pounding because of it. A lot of things became clear to her... Assassins related. They even had to kill three Templars which was _so _Assassin's Creed. But what did she expect? They were Assassins. Their Creed was all about killing. Her father's Creed. It was the most odd thing she'd ever heard. Her father was an Assassin. Yesterday everything was still... normal and now it all had took this major turn. The world would never be the same again, to her it would never be the same. She had been given a different perspective on games. The possibilities that they could be real were stuck in her head.

Her father told them that the files were old. Old didn't mean useless. But that was the reason why his address was in it. The Templars had checked it out and found out that an old lady lived in the house (he had gave Ms. Tucker some money to open the door) and they never returned. That was the reason why he had figurines of cats standing in the windowsill.

Right now everyone was in a relaxing mode. Altaïr was watching TV – the news was on –, Logan was doing things on his laptop at the dinner table, Ezio was standing in front of the bookcase deciding whether he liked it or not, Edward was lying on the other couch with closed eyes and her father was in the kitchen. She was sitting across from Logan who sometimes glanced over to her but she was sunken in thoughts. Over the past eleven years she always imagined what she would do and what she would say to her father if she ever got the chance. Her mother always told her that, after a couple of harsh words, he would never come back to her. That he never gave a damn about her. And she didn't believe that so she always thought he would come home. She always remained faithful to him. He never came home. When her stepfather moved in it occurred to her that he may never come back. And when eleven years passed, she never gave it a thought anymore – it would only hurt her. Now all of this happened and he just appeared – just like the Assassins. Sometimes the world didn't feel as big as it really was. Sometimes... it was a small world she lived in. And she wasn't sure if she liked it.

Abruptly the girl stood and walked towards the kitchen followed by a lot of curious gazes. No one knew really what was going on – even Logan wasn't sure. Lesia closed the door behind her as soon as she entered and pressed her back against it. She was hesitant. For a moment she watched as her father was cleaning the kitchen counter and when he sensed her presence, he stopped, turned around and leaned against it. Arms folded.

'So, you've finally decided to talk to me?' He raised his brows expectantly.

Lesia avoided his gaze and wasn't really sure what to say. Years worrying about this and then, when the moment finally arrived, she didn't know what to say. She stepped forward, her fingers were fidgeting in a nervous way and she was biting her lower lip. 'I just... want to know why.' she finally managed to get some words out of her system. She dared to look her father in the eyes. 'Why did you leave me?'

Jack was silent the first seconds. Not because he had no explanation – he did have an explanation – but her words were spoken with emotion. She was balancing on a ledge between hate and grieve even though she remained as calm as can be. But he knew she was fighting an inner battle between emotions. 'I had no choice,' he started. 'After I divorced your mother I just... I had no other choice. If you were with me I'd put you in danger. I had to leave you.'

Lesia let his words sink in but she wasn't satisfied with this answer. It smelled like bullshit. She shook her head fiercely. 'That can't be. Mom said you hated me. She said you didn't love me enough to even fight for me, for parenthood.' He wanted to say something, interrupt her, but Lesia wasn't finished. A far hid anger welled up. 'Do you really think it is okay to be a decent parent for five years and then just abandon your kid? Just like that? I can tell you: _that_ is a dick move.' Her eyes flashed angrily while she continued: 'Because of you mom married a pig who makes my life a living hell. Because of _you_ I had to see some kind of psychologist because she thought I was lunatic and fragile and stupid for believing in something that would never happen. I had countless of nights not sleeping but thinking of the day you would come home. I even defended you which made everything worse around the house. You... You could have just sent me a letter or something.' Lesia swallowed and felt the lump in her throat. She hadn't even noticed the tears that had formed in her eyes. Never, ever, had she known that this affected her the way it did. She was surprised of her sudden outburst. The words had just come out, she never had given a thought about any of these words.

'I did.' His voice as serious as when he told them the information about the Pieces of Eden.

'What?'

'I did sent letters. I always sent you a letter for your birthday. You never received any of them?' He sounded as if he couldn't believe it.

Lesia shook her head in shock.

Jack nodded in a, almost, ironic way. Then, he sighed and walked over to her. He placed his hands on each one of her shoulders while staring directly into her eyes so that she would notice the genuine gloss that covered his blue eyes. He knew that Lesia's mother had married another guy. He couldn't care less about what she did. But when she and this man were making wedding plans, they let Lesia walk alone from school. Of course she had to learn it herself, but he still had kept an eye on her. Just to make sure that she arrived safely. That was before he moved to Saratoga Springs. By then she was old enough to do it herself.

'Whatever your mother said about me hating you... That is not true. I have never hated you and I won't ever hate you. The Templars were watching me closely and I didn't want them to know about you.'

Lesia had dropped her gaze somewhere in his speech. She was back to her normal self and she felt as if a huge weight had just fallen off her shoulders. 'Well, they sure as hell know me now.'

He nodded sadly. 'Indeed they do.' He stood straight again. 'Did someone take a look at your neck and head?'

She shook her head again.

Jack closed his eyes for a moment. Stubborn she was. 'Come. I'll give it a look.'

'So all of a sudden you're a doctor, too?' she quipped while following him to the kitchen counter.

Her father chuckled. 'You will be amazed at the amount of professions an Assassin should be able to practice.'

So he treated her head and neck and they joined the others in the living room where they watched the news. Then they agreed on starting tomorrow with the first Templar brother and left Jack alone while they walked back to the driver. No one said a thing. Tomorrow they would gather in Lesia's house (which was kind of their base) and get more information about everything. And yes, her father had joined their fellowship as Logan was still calling it. He would help the Assassins get back to their own world. Lesia didn't know if she already forgave him for his sins, but... it was sure as hell better to have an adult in the group who had a normally functioning brain.


	12. The first unfortunate

**Hello peepz!**

**Just wanted to update this story. Hope you like it! I'm afraid I don't have time to chat so...**

**Have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

Even though Lesia had slept badly the previous day, didn't mean that she could sleep the next. Because she couldn't. She had been worrying and thinking about everything so far. She was glad that they finally had an objective (that really sounded like Call of Duty). She was glad that they knew what to do to get the Assassins home. But her father told them it would not be easy to get them back. Three Pieces of Eden... It really felt like she was in some sort of movie. After everything that had happened, she wouldn't even be surprised if a director would walk over to her and tell her she's in a movie. But that would never happen. Of course, if she looked on the bright side, it was kind of awesome to meet the real Assassins. And that they appeared in _her _living room was just... She didn't think that there were odds in that.

Lesia got up from her bed and wiped a hand over her face. She was tired. When this was over, she would sleep much better. Probably not. She always couldn't sleep when she had the chance. It was frustrating.

The girl got into the shower, brushed her teeth and put some clothes on. It was eight in the morning, the Assassins were probably already up. Except for Edward, of course, he was a pirate and probably slept in daytime or when it suited him. Living like that was probably amazing. Sometimes she thought that she was born in the wrong century.

When she made it downstairs, Ezio was preparing a meal for himself and Altaïr was nowhere to be found.

'Where is Mr. Masyaf?' she asked frowning.

Ezio gave her a glance. 'He is in the backyard.'

Lesia grabbed a glass and filled it with water. 'On the ground?' She didn't want complains from her neighbours that a crazy man was walking over their rooftops.

The Italian chuckled. 'On the ground.'

The girl took a sip of her drink and sat down at the table while looking at her living room, thinking of nothing in particular. When her eyes glanced over the one painting they had in her house, something came to mind. 'You know...' she started. 'Leonardo Da Vinci is in this century pretty much a legend.'

Ezio snickered while he thought of his Italian friend. 'I am not surprised.' He finished his sandwich and turned around while taking a bite off of it.

Lesia frowned while investigating his expression. 'I don't know if you understand me correctly. He is a freaking legend. Without him this society didn't even exist like the way it is right now. His paintings are worth millions. I mean... damn... you're one lucky man, Ezio, that you know the guy.' Lesia shook her head in awe. She wasn't really the school type who knew everything and she clearly wasn't interested in a lot of things they taught at school... but she wasn't stupid either. And having Leonardo Da Vinci as your pal would be pretty amazing. 'You should tell him that... Tell him that his work isn't for nothing I mean.'

'Oh but he knows, _bambina_. And even if everything he did was in vain... He wouldn't care. Leonardo enjoys his work. He dreams of the impossible and makes it possible. Not many people can do the same.' Ezio had a little smile left on his face and Lesia wondered what he was thinking about when the doorbell rang. She wasn't even standing yet when Altaïr barged in, blades out and ready for an attack.

Ezio started laughing.

'Relax, it's just the doorbell. It's either our mad friend who probably can break into bank accounts and steals every last penny of it or it's my mad father who probably can murder someone who is never to be found again...' She raised a brow and shrugged. 'Maybe you do have to be on your guard.' Lesia left a laughing Ezio and a not-amused Altaïr in the living room, then opened the door.

'Hello mad friend,' Lesia greeted Logan who – as usual – was already inside. It was becoming a habit: he ignoring her and she greeting air.

She closed the door and followed Logan to the living room who placed his bag with his laptop in it on the table and glanced around the room.

'Mr. Amlee isn't here yet? And where is Edward?' Logan asked confused. 'I thought I was late.'

Lesia glanced at the clock on the wall and then back at Logan with an are-you-kidding-me face. 'Is that your impression of _being late? _It hasn't even been nine o'clock.'

Logan, still, looked utterly confused. 'On a regular school day, I would've been late,' he stated. Sometimes Lesia didn't have a clue what was going on in his head.

'It's not a regular school day. I said around _ten_, which means you're early. But it doesn't matter, you can stay for free!' she said sarcastic and rolled her eyes while making a sandwich for herself. If this went on the way it did, she had to go to the supermarket early. Her mother made sure she had a lot of food in the house before she went away, but she hadn't prepared for three eating men to help her get rid of the food.

'Ey, Les, can you make me a sandwich?' Edward, who just entered the living room, asked. He plopped down on the couch.

'Of course, sweetie. Perhaps some tea, too? A chocolate chip cookie, maybe? I'd bet that will satisfy your hunger.' She was smiling sickly sweet, but her voice was drenched with sarcasm.

'Fine. I'll make it myself then.' With a sigh he stood and walked towards the kitchen counter while Lesia was walking towards the couch. When everyone was seated and waiting for Lesia's father, they started talking.

'So, Logan, I suppose you already know who the target is?' Altaïr asked. It surprised her how fast he adapted himself in this world.

Logan grinned. 'In matter of fact I do. Well, I know the names of the three brothers. Ronan Lewis, Japer Lewis and Dexter Lewis. I don't know which one will be the first.. unfortunate.' He then started to tell a story and Lesia just watched him. She was amazed by this boy – someone she knew for years but never really cared to speak to or get to know. He told stories no one cared to hear. Right now he was talking about rain and that it were droplets of water falling from clouds and that (depended on seize of the droplets) they had a different name. He told the Assassins that rain was part of the water cycle. The Assassins couldn't care less about rain, but, out of politeness, let him talk the way he did. Lesia just couldn't figure the boy out. Most of the times he walked hand-in-hand with logic, everything he did seemed logical to him, but not to her.

'I think,' Lesia said as if she wanted to comment on the current topic they were discussing (which wasn't the case). She wasn't logical. She was random. 'I think that before you die, you will write your own eulogy and you will write it in Latin.' Lesia nodded towards Logan as if she slowly – but surely – was solving a problem.

No one was following this comment after the rain-discussion, this including Logan, but he didn't ask her how she got there. He asked:

'Why Latin?'

Which made her laugh. Sometimes it was hard to believe that Logan didn't know everything. 'It would only seems logical, to me, to read a dead language at your funeral.' Logan seemed to progress her words with a thoughtful expression on his face but didn't get a chance to answer because the doorbell rang for a second time.

Lesia stood and left the living room to open the door for her father, who had been so kind to drive his car on the spot in front of the house.

'I thought you had two cars,' he stated, clearly not missing out on the details.

Lesia opened the front door fully so her father could come in. 'Yes, well, mom likes to pack everything. If it was possible she would have packed the house and taken it with her.' Lesia smiled innocently while closing the door behind him.

'You can't fool me, Lesia. I know that you drove that car to Canada.'

'So why'd you ask?' Lesia watched as her father didn't say a word and just walked into the living room. Some people would think she won this discussion, but Lesia knew better. The only reason why someone would ask a question which he already knew the answer to was simple. To watch the expression of the person who he asked it to. To know if one was trustworthy or (in this case) the other way around: if she trusted him with the information. _Mind games, _Lesia thought. _They were all playing the same game._

She followed her father into the living room

'Can I just ask something?' She cocked her head a little while giving her father a questioning glance.

'Sure,' he replied as serious as ever.

Lesia took a moment to get the question right. 'Why do you think that assassinating the brothers and, then, in _their_ final breaths telling us the location of a Piece of Eden would work? I mean, If I was about to die I wouldn't tell you shit.'

Jack had an amused expression on his face, though he ignored her swearing. 'Because you're not about to die,' he started simply. 'They are men of faith. They have done horrible things before they turned to God. Those things are the reason why they turned to Him in the first place. So, telling us the information we need to get three men home can be considered as a purification,' he explained.

'Purification,' Logan snorted disapprovingly. He clearly wasn't a man of God.

'But... I don't understand. Why would the Templars lay something so valuable in the hands of men who seek to purify their soul?'

Jack smiled a little upon all these questions. It was good to ask questions to the right people. 'When the Lewis brothers got their hands on the Piece of Eden, they were just as ruthless and merciless as Mathias.'

'And now the merciless seeks mercy,' Altaïr said aloud.

Jack turned to him. 'Exactly. And I'm happy to give it.'

* * *

So their first target was Jasper Lewis, a priest. _A fucking priest. _They immediately had to kill a priest. How nice was that.

On the pictures her father showed them he didn't look different; he didn't look like a murderer. _But you know what they say about looks. No, not deceive, looks can kill._ Jack said Jasper and his brothers killed innocent people just because they were at the wrong place the wrong time. And that was horrible.

It didn't take long to know where Jasper was hiding. With the expertise of Logan he probably could steal files from the FBI, get in a plane and fly to Europe until the FBI finds out something had been stolen from their computers. Anyway, Jasper was a priest in a church located in Massachusetts. Which was a two hour drive from Lesia's house.

So they had to step into the car (which was just as small as the Volkswagen of her stepfather) and her father drove. Logan sat next to him (she had no idea when that happened) and she had to sit in the backseat with the Assassins. And that wasn't comfortable. Especially not for two hours. In those hours they had to stop at a gas station along the way as well.

When they finally arrived at the village in Massachusetts, (at two o'clock in the afternoon, her father wasn't really a fast driver) it wasn't hard to locate the church. The village was built around the church. It was a decent church, painted white. It had a little tower with a wooden cross hanging above the entrance.

Her father parked the car in front of the church and turned off the engine but didn't took the keys out of the ignition. A moment passed while it was completely silent in the car.

'Lesia, Logan... You stay in the car.' He opened his door and the Assassins followed his example.

'Wait, what? That's bullshit!' Lesia countered angry and confused. 'Logan and I know what's at risk here, we've dealt with this from the start! You can't just take over and bark orders to me like that.'

Jack was already standing outside the car and only peeked back in to say: 'I just did and willing to do it again. Stay in the car, Lesia.' With that he closed the door.

Lesia wasn't planning on to stay in the car and wanted to get out, but Ezio blocked the way.

'It's better to stay in the car, _bambina_,' he said and with that the doors closed and Lesia watched as the four men walked towards the entrance of the church.

'Actually, Lesia, I'm fine with staying in the car,' he said as if he tried to heal the wounds, or to ease the pain.

'Yes, Logan,' Lesia replied through clenched jaws. 'I expected that you'd be fine with it.'

* * *

Jack waited a moment and gave the Assassins a glance before opening the door to the church. Jasper Lewis may be a priest today, he used to be someone else and Jack knew Jasper wouldn't give in without a fight. None of the Lewis brothers would give in without a fight. It was something he admired.

He swung the door open and immediately gestured to the Assassins to spread out which they did. No one was in the church which was understandable. People were working. It was a catholic church, judging by the beautiful things on the wall. Jack wasn't a man who believed in all these things. He wasn't a man of God nor science. And he wasn't here to admire the historical events that may or may not have happened. He was here for Jasper. Lesia was probably mad at him for not bringing her along, but he knew Jasper. And if Jasper got an opportunity to hurt him, he'd take it.

Jack felt eyes following him every step he took and the Assassins felt it too, because their fists were clenched, ready to take immediate action if necessary. He knew Jasper was watching them right now.

He stopped walking and was standing between the wooden pews. Jack glanced around the room. 'I know you're here, Jasper,' he called out. The Assassins stopped walking as well and waited until something happened.

A moment of silence passed and then a door opened. A men in a black priest uniform appeared, his hands clasped together in front of him. The man had a metal cross hanging from his neck. He looked innocent but Jack knew better than that.

'Ah, Jack... Mathias told me you'd visit me here.' Jasper stopped moving when he stood on the altar and glanced to the other three Assassins in the room. 'I suppose these are...' He gave Jack a questioning look, who didn't say a word.

'Pleased to meet you Altaïr, Ezio and Edward then.' He smiled friendly. 'Three important figures. I wonder what the world would look like if you hadn't completed your tasks.' Jasper let his words sink in, but Jack wasn't that patient.

'Stop bullshitting, Jasper. You know why we're here.'

Jasper raised his brows. 'Swearing in the House of God? How dare you.' It was sarcastic. 'Well, Jack. You know better than any other that I won't be easily captured.' He smiled again and the door, where Jasper just had came through, opened up and eight mercenaries came out and blocked the way. They were holding guns.

'I would hide if I were you. Cheerio.' Jasper left the church while Jack, Altaïr, Ezio and Edward immediately took cover behind the pews while the shooting started. It was a deafening sound in this church and the wood of the pews splintered like it was nothing.

Jack grabbed the pistol out of the back of his pants and started to shoot blindly back. He didn't hit one of them because he was sure that if he peeked his head would be blown off. He looked around to see Altaïr, with blades out, crawling closer to the eight men, while Ezio crawled towards him. Jack reloaded his weapon while Ezio said:

'You should go and get Jasper. We can finish these guys.' Ezio didn't wait for a reply and was already gone.

Jack waved towards Edward and threw him the gun because he knew Edward was hiding in a better spot than he. And Edward had a pretty good shot – if the stories were true.

And they were. As soon as Edward had his hands on the gun he peeked and shot two bullets. The first didn't hit anyone the second did though, which was a surprise to the mercenaries. This was an opportunity for Altaïr to attack the closest enemy, without getting shot, and stabbing his hidden blade in said enemy's throat. While his blade was still in the man's throat, he swung his leg towards the second and brought his second victim off-balance. He threw himself on the second man, noticing too late that a third was pointing his gun towards him. Edward, though, had seen this and shot the man in the head while Ezio grabbed the same man and threw him onto his still-living friends.

Meanwhile Jack had exited the church and failed to notice that his car wasn't in the parking lot anymore.

* * *

'I can't believe that he just thinks he can take over. Ugh.' Lesia had folded her arms, still sitting in the backseat where they left her. Ten minutes had passed and she had been complaining every minute.

'Can you just, please, shut up,' Logan begged exhausted. 'Let it go!'

'Really, Logan? You think this is the time to quote Disney movies?' She raised a brow to him and he just gave her a death glare. She chuckled.

'Fine, I'll let it go. I will keep my mouth...' She stopped her sentence to see a man, a priest, exiting the church on the side of said building. He was running hysterically, looking behind him like he was being followed. Which he wasn't.

'That's Jasper Lewis,' Logan said frowning.

Lesia watched the back of the man as he ran the opposite way of where the car was standing. No one followed him. She didn't even think about what to do, she just knew it.

'What are you doing?' Logan asked a little panicked when she moved towards the driver's seat and started the motor. She thanked her father for leaving the keys in the ignition.

'Getting that son of a bitch, I won't let him get away. Relax, Logan. I have drove you to Canada and nothing happened, remember?'

Logan looked as if he was about to faint. 'I'm still having nightmares about that trip.'

The girl rolled her eyes, 'oh shut up,' and drove out of the parking lot, taking a turn to her left and then right, to follow Jasper.

Just when the car had left, Jack barged out of the door and ran past the church to follow Jasper. He knew where the guy was headed – to a crowded place. Jack wanted to catch up with him before he arrived there. It would be inappropriate to beat up a guy in front of everyone to see.

He passed a couple of empty streets and when he looked ahead, he could see Jasper running. The man wasn't that fast while wearing that priest-dress. Jasper was about to cross a street, while looking behind him when a car, out of nowhere, screeched to a halt. Right in front of him. Jasper didn't stand a chance and when he turned his head, the only thing he saw was a black car and then nothing. He bumped into the car that was accompanied by a bone-crushing sound and then the man fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

Panting, Jack came to a halt while the Assassins – who had defeated the mercenaries and caught up with him (which made him realize he was getting old) – stopped running when they were standing next to the car.

Logan was sitting in the passenger seat, wide eyed and looking guilty as if he just committed a crime. After all, it was his side Jasper bumped into.

Lesia immediately got out of the car with a hand covering her mouth. When she followed Jasper with the car she wanted to catch up with him. This wasn't really what she had in mind. She looked down at Jasper who didn't look like he was about to move anytime soon and asked unnerved:

'I didn't kill him, did I?'


	13. Target Eliminated

**Hey guys!**

**Just wanted to thank you all again for everything.**

**Have a good day and enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

'Well? Did I kill the guy?' Lesia was still standing, albeit a little stressed, next to the car looking down at Jasper Lewis. Her father had kneeled down beside the man to check his pulse.

'No, he just knocked the sense out of himself,' her father said and stood again. He was concerned. Lesia knew he was; she saw it in his eyes. She confessed that she didn't like it when he was concerned.

'I think he already knocked the sense out of himself a long time ago. What was that back in the church?' Edward asked nervously – but that was because the adrenaline was still flowing. Lesia finally noticed the gun in his hand and gave him a shocked look – which he acknowledged. He gave the gun back to her father. And that didn't make anything less worse.

'You have a gun?' she hissed, still shocked. If she thought about it, it was kind of logical. But she wasn't really thinking about anything at the moment because someone just walked against her father's car!

'Don't put this on me,' he retorted. 'What were you doing with my car?'

'I was following him!' she replied indignantly while pointing to Jasper who was still laying on the ground. 'Besides, if I hadn't done what I did, you probably would've catch up with him on the square. And taking priests against their will in public places isn't really a thing here.'

Jack shook his head, annoyed. 'I would've caught up with him before he got the chance to enter the square.'

Lesia wanted to chuckle but restraint herself. 'Sure, keep telling yourself that.'

He closed his eyes for a moment and let a smile creep on his face.

'I'd hate to interrupt your little... whatever it was, but we have a priest lying on the ground. What are we supposed to do with him?' Logan, who had rolled his window down, gave everyone a questioning look and then frowned upon seeing Altaïr's shirt. 'What's that on your shirt?' After these words, everyone turned to Altaïr who looked down as well.

'Oh God, not again,' Lesia sighed while seeing the blood on his shirt. Her father gave her a quizzical expression so she added: 'What happened to you in the church?'

'We got attacked by a bunch of _stronzi_,' Ezio replied instead.

'It isn't important, what is, is getting him somewhere no one cares to come,' Jack said while pinching the bridge of his nose.

'Weren't we supposed to kill him so that he can purify his soul and tell us the first lead to the artefact we desperately need?' Logan asked bluntly while staring at the man's head. It was a relief that no one was walking in this street because it would be too weird to see four men and two kids discussing something while in their midst a priest was laying on the ground.

'Yes, we were. Help me to get him in the trunk and Lesia,' he gave his daughter a glance. 'Get your ass in the backseat. Now.'

Lesia held her hands up innocently while doing what she was told while Logan was busy rolling his window back up.

'Man, I feel like a terrorist,' Lesia noted while they were waiting until the men were finished throwing a man in the trunk.

'Well, if you're out of jail I can make your criminal record go away,' Logan replied with a grin.

Lesia gave her friend a stupid look. 'That's very comforting. Thank you.'

Logan just laughed while readjusting his glasses back onto his nose.

The trunk was closed and she got, yet again, squeezed between the Assassins while her father sat down in the driver's seat and backed up, out of the street.

'So... what's the plan?' Lesia asked kind of lost.

'We're going to look for a quiet place,' her father replied simply like it was a daily activity of his.

So they looked for a place and finally found one: a large parking lot with maybe three cars parked in it. No one was around. A perfect spot to murder someone. Then again this neighbourhood they were currently in looked like someone got killed every Friday.

Everyone made an attempt to get out of the car – except for Logan, who preferred to stay in the car, safe, with his bag that carried his laptop on his lap. Lesia, too, made an attempt to get out of the car. And she didn't succeed because her father didn't let her get out. As usual.

'Do I really have to say it again, Lesia?' Jack raised his brows while Lesia crossed her arms stubbornly. He had to say it again. 'Stay in the car.'

'You've got to be kid-,' he closed the door before she even finished her sentence. Lesia turned to Logan. 'Is he for real?!'

Jack opened the trunk, noticed Jasper was slowly getting to his senses and grabbed the man by his clothes, dragging him out of the trunk like the man weighed nothing.

Lesia and Logan watched him, mouths agape at the action.

'Remind me not to piss off my father,' Lesia said dumbfounded, although her eyes were caught by the necklace of the metal cross dangling around Jasper's neck for some reason.

Jack threw Jasper to the ground and crossed his arms while he looked down upon the priest, who saw four deadly Assassins glaring back at him. The man swallowed hard.

'I'd like to believe that you seek mercy after all that you've done, Jasper. And we're happy to give it to you. You just have to tell us what we want to hear.' Jack had a raised brow while waiting patiently on a response.

Jasper narrowed his eyes. 'I won't tell you anything. Your _kind_ can burn in hell for all I care,' he spat with an angry expression. To make it perfectly clear that he was disgusted by their presence, he spat at the feet of Jack on the asphalt.

'Yes, you made that clear when you tried to kill us,' quipped Edward disapprovingly.

'Which of the three are you? What, where or how?' Ezio asked impatiently. He was told that the three brothers only knew pieces of the location they sought.

'Burn. In. Hell,' Jasper repeated slowly with a sick smile on his face.

Jack rolled his eyes, annoyed. 'Then we have to walk the hard way,' he sighed. He was about to dislocate Jasper's jaw when Lesia kept him from it.

'Wait!' She stumbled out of the car. _When you tell them to stay in the car, they need to stay in the car, _Jack thought bitterly. But he turned around anyway.

'What?'

Lesia walked over to the five men. 'It's his necklace,' she mumbled. Altaïr and Ezio kept the man in place while Lesia yanked the necklace off of his neck and studied the metal cross.

'It's just a necklace, little girl. Something I bought at a local market, fake.' Jasper tried to change her mind, but that wasn't going to happen. When he knew it didn't happen with reason, he tried a different approach: 'You little bitch, give it back!'

Jack wanted to do something about his dirty mouth, but Ezio already hit him with his fists in his face. So he had a dislocated jaw after all.

Jasper wailed in pain and gave Ezio a death glare before turning his gaze back to Jack. Their eyes met for a second and suddenly the priest started laughing like a mad men, he didn't care about the pain he was in while doing so. 'Aha! It's your daughter! I didn't know you had one, Jack.' He wiggled his brows, challenging, and Jack ignored him, turned his back on him and stood beside Lesia. He, too, inspected the necklace.

'I asked Logan and he told me that the cross is real metal while the rest of it is plastic. Fake. I found that a bit odd...' She continued studying the cross with great interest. She pulled at the end of the cross and a layer (like a cap of a pen) came off. Now the cross was still a cross, only the end was now changed into a key.

Lesia stared for a moment in bewilderment at the cross, blinking, thinking of what this could mean.

'You are great,' Jack whispered to Lesia with a twinkle in his eyes and grabbed the disguised key out of her hands. He showed it to Jasper, whose mood had changed immediately to cranky upon the sight of the key.

'Your brothers have the same key, isn't that right Jasper?' Jack kneeled down while giving the priest a piercing look.

Jasper didn't say a word, refusing to look at Jack. He looked like a child that got a scowl of his parent.

'Come on, Jasper. You knew you were done as soon as we entered the church.' Jack kept staring at Jasper until he finally gave in. Or broke down. He wasn't sure which one.

'Fine, Jack.' He sighed a long, deep sigh – knowing that it was probably the last one. 'Yes, we all have this key. You need three keys to unlock the door.'

'What door? Where is it located?' Edward frowned.

Jasper swallowed, he was still held by Ezio and Altaïr, he was still pressed onto the asphalt of the parking lot. 'That's all I know. My brothers know the rest of this godforsaken puzzle. I can tell you that the Templars have a lot more secrets than Ubisoft kept in their files. That's all you get from me.'

Jack nodded slowly and stood. His hands placed on his hips, thinking. Then he glanced back towards Lesia, who immediately got her ass back in the backseat of the car. She looked out of the window and watched as Altaïr and Ezio hoisted Jasper to his feet. The five of them walked out of sight to do, well, to do what they did best.

'This doesn't feel right,' Lesia mumbled to herself.

'Well, it is what Assassins do. A full game experience, that's what this is.' Logan touched his glasses while Lesia gave him a glare.

It didn't take long until the Assassins got back into the car and they were driving on the highway again. It was quiet in the car until it became clear where they were heading: McDonalds.

'I don't know about you but I'm not feeling that hungry after... Well...' Lesia watched her father in the rear-view mirror.

'We're not going there for the food,' her father said without looking back to her. He drove the car over a threshold, the sign that they were on McDonalds property and parked the car in a parking lot close to the entrance. _Why visit a fast food restaurant if it's not for the food? _Lesia wondered as she stepped out of the car. Altaïr was wearing her father's jacket to cover up the blood, so no one would give them funny looks. Or _funnier_ looks.

Lesia grabbed her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it. Then it hit her, they weren't here for the food (well, that wasn't the _primary_ thing). Mainly, they were here for the free Wi-Fi. Probably searching on that laptop of Logan's for the next Lewis brother.

Inside, the Assassins acted like little kids, pointing out what they wanted to her father (because they were hungry) while Lesia and Logan found a quiet place in the back of McDonalds. Logan was busy on his laptop while Lesia checked her phone.

When the four men returned with their food, Lesia left her phone on the table and went to the toilet.

'Next up is Ronan Lewis. He lives in California, but is currently in Philadelphia for business,' Jack said, looking at the screen while Logan was typing.

'That is like an five hour drive from where we are,' Logan noted. He found an article from the news that Ronan was, indeed, in Philadelphia for business. He was a politician. 'Odd that they are not that far away from us. I reckoned that we had to drive to the other side of the United States, or even fly to Europe, to get them.'

Jack chuckled. 'I wanted to avoid that so I pulled some strings. We, Assassins, don't have the numbers, but we do have the authority – or, so to say, influence. Whatever you prefer. Most of us are living in Europe and Asia, that is the reason the brothers aren't there. If I was one of them, I would be hiding somewhere in Africa, but they are just as human as we are: they want to make something of their lives, be someone people listen to. And where else can you get those opportunities other than the United States? Other countries look up to us, some even fear us and that can be very useful for some.'

Logan wanted to reply but got interrupted by a phone call coming from Lesia's cell phone. He could see the name of the caller and remembered a conversation they once had while driving to Canada. She had said something about when her mom called, she had to pick up. And then she said something about that her mother was a paranoid lady and other stuff he didn't listen to.

He grabbed her phone, glanced towards the toilet and then back to the phone. _Shit. _She wasn't back yet. Then he looked at Mr. Amlee and held the phone in front of him. 'You should pick it up.'

Jack, who frowned while looking at the screen and realized who the caller was, shook his head violently. 'Oh hell no. I am not picking that up. She is the heart of evil, probably daughter of the devil. I've had my fair share of evil.' Jack crossed his arms decisively.

Logan glanced back to the phone and then towards the three Assassins eating their meals across from them. Giving the phone to one of them was even a worse idea. Not only because they didn't know the technology but because they were men. And they had these low voices and if that was the first thing Lesia's mother heard through the phone, she would probably get her ass back in the car and drive straight home.

Just when Logan had gathered his courage to pick up the phone, Lesia walked back to the table. He gave her the phone back so that she could answer it. And he was glad she made it in time.

'Hey mom,' Lesia said sheepishly and pointed towards the exit. 'Oh, I'm great,' she said while leaving McDonalds.

When everyone was done with their meals, they searched for Lesia outside and finally found her leaning against the car, just ending the conversation.

'What did you told her?' Jack asked concerned.

'That my game came to life, teamed up with Logan to go to Canada, got attacked by some weirdo with a scar, visited you in your house, killed a priest and that I've just eaten at McDonalds with not a worry in my very own soul.' She gave her father a sweet smile.

Jack shook his head, chuckling. 'You only told her about McDonalds.'

She rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, well, duh. If I told her everything she'd lock me up in an asylum and she'd kick your ass into the Pacific.'

'Yup, she'd do that.' Jack unlocked his car and everyone slowly got in it.

'So... Where are we going?'

'Philadelphia!' Logan answered just before getting in the car.

'Philadelphia... Never been there.'

Jack started the car when everyone was in it. 'Well, that's about to change,' he said and drove back towards the highway.

/

_Stronzi – assholes _


	14. A bump in the road

**Hey guys!**

**You know what I like about this chap? Action! I like the action. I like to write the action. So yeah. That.**

**_Kings119_****: Awesome. It was kind of a coincidence that I chose Philly. So. Well. I'm happy you like the story!**

**And as usual; have a good day and enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Lesia was the first who stumbled out of the car and onto the sidewalk of Philadelphia. She was stretching her aching legs because a six hour drive wasn't that comfortable. Along the way they had to go through some traffic, stopped at three gas stations and a parking lot to get some sleep. Before all that Logan called his mother to tell her that he was, again, sleeping at her place and that he had clothes to wear so that he didn't have to come home to pack a sleepover-bag. His mother, Lindsey, didn't mind that he was away for another night – she was actually encouraging him to stay as long as he liked. His father, however, wasn't that thrilled upon hearing him staying with Lesia again. His mother would take care of that though, he didn't have to worry. Well, not about his parents. About the situation they were currently in he did have to worry. While they were driving they had listened to the news and the news told them about this shooting in a church in Massachusetts. Eight bodies were found, heavily armed. No sign left by the murderers. Priest still missing. It's actually funny how the police twisted things while the news reporters tried to get information out of them. Fact is, the police probably didn't know a thing about this, or how to handle it, or why this happened. They didn't know about the Templar-Assassin war raging in the world.

'You know what's interesting about Philadelphia?' Logan asked when he got out of the car and stood next to Lesia, looking around in amazement.

'Pardon my ignorance and enlighten me,' Lesia mumbled sarcastic.

Logan, who put his glasses back in place, didn't hear the sarcasm in her voice. Or ignored it. 'Philadelphia is the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1681, in 1776 it played as an instrumental role as a meeting place for the Founding Fathers of the United States who signed the Declaration of Independence. From 1790 to 1800 it was the capital of the United States. The city is often called "Philly" by the people. The literal meaning of the city's name in Greek is _brotherly love_. This is compounded from _philos_ which means _loving_ and _adelphos_ which means _brother_.' The boy looked pleased with himself when he was finally finished talking.

'I thought you were just a computer-nerd. Turns out you are a complete-nerd. Should've known when Ezio touched those comics on your desk. Anyway, congratulations, you just got promoted. Yay.' Lesia gave him a pat on the back. She turned towards her father who just locked the car, and realized that he was _locking _the car.

'Wait, does that mean we're in?' She raised a brow, trying to hide her excitement.

Jack turned to face his daughter. And sighed. 'Yes, you're in,' he said reluctantly. 'But only because you will find a way to get involved anyway.'

Lesia raised her hands innocently, turned around triumphantly and smiled at Logan. He didn't look that excited though – he gave her an anxious look.

'The laptop and the key stay in the car. That's safer,' Jack announced.

Edward, who was leaning against the car with his arms crossed, asked: 'So, where do we find this man?'

'Behind Market Street there is a square where the building is located. Ronan is currently meeting an oil guy. Really important to the economy, really fake. It's a set up, done by Assassins to get him here.' They started walking towards Market Street. Lesia was intrigued by the skyscrapers – there were a lot of them. Montreal had been a whole other city – it had been cleaner (she was told that Montreal was one of the cleanest cities in the world) and really... different. Because the people who walked by spoke French. But Lesia really liked Philadelphia, too.

'Why can't _those_ Assassins do the job then?' Altaïr asked just when they were crossing a busy street. It was really hard to stay together, other people would walk between the _fellowship _and drift them apart. But just as fish, they came back together.

'Like I said before,' Jack dodged, just in time, a man who was having a discussion on the phone, who otherwise had bumped into him.

Logan and Lesia made place so that the man could pass. They watched him as he yelled a quick _sorry _and then bumped into someone else. The kids gave each other a glance. 'Jesus,' they breathed. It was as if Philadelphia was experiencing everything a bit faster.

'The few Assassins who are left have high positions. They are watched, have duties to do so that the ship will stay afloat. That's why there are Assassins like me, who no one knows, who no one c_ares _to know. We do the dirty work and disappear.' Jack gave Altaïr a glance. 'We still have each other's back, we're just aren't living in one castle anymore.'

Altaïr nodded understanding.

'Market Street reminds me of the Champs-Elysées in Paris. You know? The famous avenue?' Logan cocked his head while giving Lesia a questioning glance.

Lesia blinked a few times. 'Yes. I know what it is. I just...' She looked around Market Street, a street located between skyscrapers. A street with a lot of fast-driving cars and busses. She turned back to face Logan. 'I just don't see the similarities.'

They were about to cross the street which didn't look like the best plan. But they needed to get to that square behind Market Street. So it was kind of essential.

'There's just one. You don't want to cross that street either without the help of a crossroad.'

They made it safely to the other side, even though they just risked their lives. They walked past the buildings on Market Street and finally found the square located on the right. On the left there was the Market Street Bridge across the Schuylkill River. Of course they walked towards the square (which was full of people, mainly tourists). And just when Lesia was wondering why, she saw the building that was dominating the square: a bright white, old, Victorian-style building with guards in front of the entrance. It was beautiful and a little out of place in this modern city, but who cared?

'You're not telling me that he is meeting the guy in there...' Lesia pointed towards the building.

'I think you already know the answer,' he mumbled and then turned around to look behind them. Lesia wasn't really paying attention to him, she was distracted by the building, the people, the restaurants... She took it all in at once.

'We need to spread out. When Ronan is walking out of that building, he will be in a hurry because he will know that it was a set up. Besides, he knows we're coming for him. He knows his brother is dead,' Jack said in a hushed tone. 'Stay out of trouble and if you get a chance, try to eliminate him somewhere out of sight.' These were order directed to the Assassins so neither Logan or Lesia were listening. 'Alright, Edward you go with Logan. Ezio and Altaïr go with each other and I will be going with Lesia. Remember, keep your eyes open. We're being followed.'

After these words, everyone just vanished in the crowd. Jack grabbed Lesia's wrist and dragged her, too, into the crowd. He was shoving some people aside while they slowly started to get closer to the building.

'We're being followed?!' Lesia hissed worried while glancing behind her, trying to locate the followers. But no one looked suspicious. Not to her.

'Yes. We're not really that hard to spot for the Templars. Four men, two kids...' Suddenly he dragged her into an reeking alley. Lesia didn't even get the chance to say anything because her father grabbed a man who just wanted to pass by the alley. One hand in front of his mouth, his other arm around the man-in-the-suit's neck, choking him.

Lesia was frozen to the ground, not really knowing what to do until the man's eyes rolled back and he stopped struggling. Her father let the man sit against the wall as if he had been through a rough night the previous day.

'What the hell did you do?!' Lesia hissed shocked then she noticed the pistol in the man's belt. She blinked.

'Easy. He is just unconscious. And he was one of our followers,' Jack reasoned with a calm voice. His eyes had a soft expression when he looked at his daughter.

Lesia was still kind of shocked, but accepted it. 'Fine, fine. But you could have warn me about it.' She offered her wrist which he grabbed. They walked out of the alley and back onto the square.

'Warn you?'

'Yes! You could have said like, I don't know, I'm about to make a man sleep or something like that,' she mumbled while avoiding that people would infiltrate her inner-space. Her aura for that matter. She didn't like it when strangers were too close to her liking.

Jack stopped and gave her a funny look. '_I'm about to make a man sleep_?' He repeated her words, chuckling. 'Serious?'

'What!' she exclaimed indignantly. He just kept chuckling while guiding her again through the people without trying to alarm any of them. They made their way closer towards the building.

'What time is it?' Jack asked, his eyes never straying from the entrance of the building.

'Uh,' Lesia mumbled and grabbed her phone out of her jacket pocket. She hit the home button and the screen of her Iphone lit up. 'It's almost three o'clock.'

'Good,' her father breathed. 'That's good.'

Lesia returned her phone in her jacket pocket and cocked her head, while glancing towards the guards standing at the entrance of the building. 'When is Ronan's meeting finis...' She stopped talking because the doors of the entrance opened up and a man in a black suit and tie came out of the building. The crowd was getting a bit excited, but couldn't get closer because bodyguards and other serious-looking dudes were clearing a path for the man.

'That's our guy,' Jack mumbled and took a moment to look where he was heading. A black SUV was standing at the side of the road, a driver, neatly dressed with black hand gloves, stood next to the door – ready to open the door when his boss was close.

While Jack took a moment to do that, Lesia took a moment to look at Ronan. He was the same height as Jasper but his hair was darker and he was a little... bigger than Jasper, too. She couldn't find a necklace on him but he easily could hide it under those fancy clothes.

'We've got to get to him before he steps into that SUV.' Her father started shoving people aside, while Lesia did the same. He was still holding her wrist, not willing to let her go until it was absolutely necessary. People were constantly in the way and both of them got really pissed. They were trying to watch Ronan as his bodyguards suddenly started to push people away. They had a sudden rush and Jack didn't like that.

Both parties were running through the crowd, shoving fiercely people aside when something happened. One of the bodyguards started screaming in pain and then another one. Ronan knew this weren't just people of the crowd, he knew they were after him and he left the guards, while pushing people out of his way. The driver opened the door for him and closed it when he made it inside.

The crowd was now surrounding the bodyguards while one of them was calling 911 because both of them weren't standing up any time soon. Someone broke their legs. The crowd was standing against the black SUV because of the sudden events that were happening on the square.

Jack and Lesia just made it to the SUV, a little too late, and out of anger Jack banged the car with his fist. He listened as the engine roared and thought for a moment. Then his eyes fixed upon the sight of a man in a suit running towards the Market Street Bridge across the road.

'Clever bastard,' Jack mumbled and started running towards the bridge with Lesia following close behind him.

The Market Street Bridge was a quite beautiful bridge with balustrades and other decorative elements. There were four eagle statues on both sides of the bridge. Lesia didn't have the time to take a moment and watch.

Ronan Lewis had already crossed it while Lesia saw the two figures on the roofs, keeping up with the man: Altaïr and Ezio were following him easily.

Lesia stopped on the bridge while her father ran on. There was something off, the feeling was eating her away from the inside. The SUV was still standing at the side of the road, the bodyguards who weren't attacked were still on the square, watching. Watching. Why didn't they come after the man they were supposed to protect?

People were walking carelessly across the bridge, cars were crossing it. She noticed that her father had stopped running, too. She noticed that Ronan touched his ear while running for a couple of seconds, which indicated that he was communicating with someone.

Suddenly a loud noise was heard, coming from under the bridge. Lesia stumbled, almost fell on her rear, but managed to keep her balance. _What the hell? _

Another noise, not even a second after the first one, was echoing across the river, into the streets. The bridge made a sound that was akin to breaking stone – or maybe it was breaking stone. It started to move. A crack, a couple of metres away from her current position, started to appear. And suddenly it hit her. The bridge was collapsing.

The few people who had really good reflexes were screaming, most of them were standing anxious on the bridge, not knowing what was about to happen.

Lesia turned her head and saw Edward grabbing Logan. At their feet another crack was appearing.

'Lesia!' her father yelled while running back for her but before she could act, the piece of bridge she was standing, was collapsing. Cars were slowly rolling the same way: the way where they just came from, Logan and Edward were standing there. They were just out of danger. But if the cars were rolling the same way, that would mean that the bridge wouldn't collapse smoothly, all at once. One side would enter the river sooner than the other side.

And that happened. The piece of bridge was now collapsing clockwise and the first car had already rolled into the water. All people were now screaming while they threw themselves on the guardrail. Lesia followed their example and held onto it while her side of the bridge was getting higher and higher.

Suddenly her father was lying down on the piece that wasn't collapsing, holding out his hand to her as far as he possibly could. He was trying to reach her, after all, he was now above her instead of beside her.

'Les, grab my hand!' he shouted.

Lesia looked up, not knowing whether she should take the risk – if it went wrong, she would fall onto hard concrete which wasn't that comfortable. She was thinking, helplessly, hoping that she made the right decision. Then she let go of the guardrail. She started to run towards her father while some people already had reached the water behind her. It was as if she was running up a hill. She had to jump the last bit to get even a chance to grab her father's hand. For a moment she was hanging in the air while the whole piece of the bridge crashed onto the surface of the water. Then a hand grabbed her wrist and she dangled above the Schuylkill River, breathing heavy. The girl looked up and was directly eyeing her father's worried expression.


	15. The Tower

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Altaïr was running tirelessly over the rooftops of Philadelphia. His golden-brown eyes watching the man like a hawk. He glanced over to Ezio who was running across the street over the rooftops just like himself. The Italian had told him that he had heard his name once or twice in the world he came from. Then they had snapped the legs of the bodyguards and ran after Ronan Lewis who didn't fool them by stepping into the car.

Suddenly two loud explosive-like sounds were echoing through the streets which startled the people. Both of the Assassin faltered: they had the urge to turn around and to make sure their friends were alright. But when their eyes met for a moment, they both knew what to do. Altaïr gestured toward Ezio to jump off the rooftops, but Ezio was already doing it.

The Italian landed on the ground and started to catch up with Ronan Lewis who was surprisingly fast in those fancy clothes. Ezio waited for his chance and then threw himself on the Templar when he was about to pass an alley. With his hidden blade he hit home.

Both of the men hit the ground, _hard_, and rolled on into the alley. Ezio getting the upper hand as they struggled to get on top of each other and then the Italian held the arms of Ronan in place, eyeing him from under his red hood, the one that Lesia gave him the first day.

Altaïr landed next to the two men on the ground and kneeled down beside him while Ezio slowly retreated his arms. Blood was drenching Ronan's black suit and a puddle started to appear around the man's stomach and ribs.

'Ronan Lewis, speak and be sure to tell us your secrets,' Altaïr said in a demanding manner.

The man laying on the ground watched the two Assassins for a moment. 'Altaïr and Ezio, to what do I owe the pleasure?'

Ezio, who wasn't that patient, didn't like to be played with. 'You know why,' he said threatening although he couldn't do anything – the man was already dying.

Ronan laughed, his teeth and tongue were coloured red. 'I know you killed my brother. It's just a matter of time before someone finds his body. Just like they will find mine in this alley.' He coughed up blood, which indicated that Ezio had stabbed one of his lungs. 'Did you like the show? It's called C-4. See, as soon as I heard three famous Assassins showed up in this world, I knew my life was coming to an end. It was just... a matter of time...' He breathed heavily, closing his eyes because it was getting hard to stay awake. 'I... didn't want to collapse alone today, so I took a bridge with me. I knew this was going to happen and I just... knew I was done. You already know what's inside. The Apple... Do not let the power seduce you, it will drive you mad to the point of no return. The key...' He patted his chest weakly while he started to breathe slower. 'This... will be the day that... Market Street Bridge collapsed as well as Ronan Lewis... All the headlines... You'll see...'

The Assassins watched as Ronan Lewis made his final sigh.

'Requiescat in pace,' Ezio muttered, closing his eyes while Altaïr found the same cross disguised as a necklace around the man's neck and yanked it off.

'We need to get back to the others. Who knows what might have happen to them.' Altaïr waited until Ezio joined him and then the two Assassins ran back towards the bridge that didn't exist anymore. They shoved the people aside who were standing in fright and dumbfound watching the just-collapsed bridge. Some people were calling, other people were talking to the stranger beside them. It was weird how destruction always brought people together.

Altaïr and Ezio managed to get everyone out of their way only to find Lesia and Jack holding each other while they were half-sitting on the ground. They were dangerously close to the edge of the bridge.

On the other side of the bridge Edward and Logan were standing just as shocked as the crowd surrounding both of them. Screams coming out of the water could be heard. Some people were already trying to help the people in the water by swimming towards them or telling them how to get out.

'Are you alright?' Altaïr asked as the two Assassins walked towards the pair on the edge of the bridge.

Jack nodded while letting his daughter go and stood. 'We're fine. Can you tell Logan to meet us at the car?' He gave Lesia a questioning look, who nodded in return. The girl waved shakily towards the duo on the other side of the bridge and then grabbed her phone, raising it. Then she started texting Logan (the message took a lot longer than she wanted to due to her shaky state).

Jack pushed his daughter slowly away from the edge and noticed the cross-necklace in Altaïr's hand. 'I assume it went well?' His eyes wandered from Altaïr to Ezio.

Ezio nodded. 'He told us what was inside, which we already know. He was also the one who destroyed the bridge.'

'Yes,' Altaïr breathed. 'He also mentioned something about C-4, but I am not sure what that means.'

Jack took the necklace from Altaïr and started to walk through the crowd, in the direction of the nearest bridge, just as Edward and Logan – too – disappeared into the crowd.

'C-4. Explosives. They planted them under the bridge. Typical for Ronan to drag the world with him in his downfall.'

They were just in time to avoid the cops who were currently helping the fallen people. It took a while until they finally reached the car where they found Logan and Edward sitting on the sidewalk. When they realized their friends were back, they stood immediately.

'Is everyone okay?' Edward asked with a frown.

Jack nodded while unlocking his car. 'Yes. Everyone is fine. Are you two okay?'

It was Logan who, now, nodded hysterically. 'Yes we're fine. The bridge was destroyed, eh? C-4. Heard the noise. I'm not stupid.'

Lesia wanted to roll her eyes, but restraint herself. 'Yes we know you're not stupid,' she mumbled to herself. Her heart was still racing and the adrenaline was still flowing. It had been a pretty rough day and she really needed a decent place to rest, also known as _not_ the car. But they still needed one more target who would give them the location and the last key to the first Apple of Eden.

The phone of her father rang and he excused himself. When he came back, he looked troubled. Jack cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. 'There has been a slight change in plans.'

'What do you mean?' Altaïr, who had been leaning against the car, pushed himself upright.

'Well,' Jack started while putting his phone back into his pocket, 'I thought Dexter would be in Pittsburgh. But I just got a call from the Assassin who was supposed to meet the guy there and he told me that Dexter didn't show up. He told me that the last brother is hiding in a tower.'

Logan furrowed a brow. 'A tower? I suppose this tower isn't located in Pittsburgh.'

Jack shook his head. 'You're correct. It is located in Atlanta.'

Lesia let out a loud, painful and long groan after his last word. _At- fucking- lanta_. That was far. Like half-a-day-drive far.

'What kind of tower?'

'An office building. And we should get going before past events have reached his ears. I was told that the building is heavily guarded. We don't want to arrive in a building where we can't go inside.' Jack opened the door of his car while the others followed his example.

'So it's already clear that we're going inside?' Lesia cocked her head when she was, yet again, sitting in the backseat with the other three Assassins. She looked at her father through the rear view mirror. He looked back with an unreadable expression on his face. Then he started the engine and drove off without answering her question.

* * *

The road to Atlanta was long, boring and very uncomfortable. It took thirteen hours to get there because, well, traffic. They stopped countless of times because Logan needed to pee. _A lot_. It was so annoying that everyone in the car sighed together when he announced he needed to pee again. In those thirteen hours Lesia had fallen asleep seven times. First on Edward's shoulder, then Ezio's. They slept for the second time in the car and Lesia was dying for a shower. Her father had bought some gum along the way, so the breath was OK, but everyone could use a shower.

The news told them that both bodies of the brothers were found but they knew only so little. They also told that the bridge had collapsed due to age and weight and much more crap. Even an idiot knew that that wasn't the case. That was what Logan commented on that topic.

When they finally neared Atlanta, Lesia was kind of sad that they didn't enter the city via the same highway as _Rick Grimes, _a character in _The Walking Dead_. But, oh well. They would never make such a badass entry: walking down an empty highway on a horse with a bag full of guns.

They arrived in Atlanta around three in the afternoon. The first thing her father had to do was pick up a bag in a quiet street where someone had thrown it in the garbage bin. It was a black bag and Lesia could only guess what was inside: guns. After this, they ate something at a restaurant (Logan paid) and then they drove towards the building where Dexter was hiding in. There were a lot of towers in Atlanta and most of them were almost fully covered with windows. Some of the buildings looked a little odd - architecturally.

The building they were looking for was located between two other towers which were even higher than the one Dexter was in. It seemed like a normal office tower, no name or whatsoever that indicated the company. It was just a building.

'The tower consists of forty floors. The bastard is, of course, located on the highest floor. It is an office so there will be innocents.' He gave the Assassins a keen look and then let his gaze fall on Logan. 'I suppose you can't do anything from here with that laptop of yours?'

Logan shook his head. 'If you get me to a security office in that building, I can do things for you.'

Jack nodded. He had a trapped expression on his face. He didn't want to involve Logan and Lesia in this but it was inevitable. Logan was a mastermind and if Logan was inside, Lesia would be too. With or without his permission. So if he and the Assassins cleared the ground floor, locked the two up in the security office, they could do their job and help them. This he said out loud and then told everyone to stay in the car while he got out.

Lesia watched as her father walked nonchalant towards the tower which was lit because it was evening. 'Is he mad?' she mumbled.

It didn't take her father long to exit the tower. When he rushed back towards his car (which was parked at the end of the parking lot in front of the building) the others were standing next to it. He showed them the security card that he, somehow, stole from a guard. He used the good old I-am-so-sorry-for-walking-into-you trick.

'Alright,' he breathed while opening the trunk where he put that bag. Lesia had been right; there were guns in the bag. Guns, ammunition and earpieces that looked like the one she had in when she broke into Ubisoft Montreal. But these were better. You didn't need a phone with these. If you just pressed a button on the earpiece you should be able to talk to each other. You didn't need to hold it in or anything – it was really awesome. Everyone got one earpiece and when they made sure the earpieces worked, they moved on to the guns. Jack showed the Assassins how to reload a semi-automatic pistol. They had a silencer on them and Lesia immediately knew how he wanted to tackle this: stealth mode. Lesia and Logan didn't get a pistol. They didn't mind though, both of them were too scared for one of those. Edward got a blowpipe with sleep darts – just like the one he used in the games. Lesia didn't know if she liked it that all those people knew that the Assassins were here, but she couldn't do anything about it.

When the Assassins were equipped with smoke grenades, gas grenades (the gas puts the person who inhales it to sleep), pistols and gasmasks, her father explained the situation. How many guards he had seen on the ground floor, the cameras and where they were located and which way they needed to go to. Most of the floors would only consists of innocent men and women (except for a few guards), but the highest floor was full of enemies.

Lesia and Logan watched as the four men set off towards the entrance of the building while they waited next to the car. Both of their earpieces were off, but the ones of the Assassins weren't and Lesia could hear her father barking orders.

'Not the best idea entering through the front door,' Lesia mumbled with crossed arms.

Logan thought about that for a moment. 'Or a great idea. I mean they are called Assassins for a reason. They always use stealth to get to their targets. Entering through the front door isn't very stealthy... So Dexter probably doesn't expect it.'

Lesia hadn't thought about it like that. Maybe her father wasn't that stupid after all. Maybe he had it all planned out, even though it didn't look like it.

It took a while before a static noise came from the earpiece and her father's voice said: 'Lesia and Logan, you can come in.'

The two teenagers gave each other a look before walking towards the tall tower that was covered with windows. Edward opened the door upon their entry and they were suddenly standing in a very fancy and modern building with a lot of photographs and paintings on the wall. On their right there was a counter. On their left a waiting-corner with couches and chairs made of real leather. If they looked at the bright, white ceiling every camera was broken due to a bullet. No one was killed just yet.

Altaïr was dragging the last sleeping person behind the counter while Jack took them past the elevators and stairs, through a door (which required a security card and a password – Ezio somehow managed to get it out of a guard), through a hallway and finally through the last door (which required also the security card) into the security room. It occurred to Lesia that the door was really heavy and made out of some kind of metal.

The security room was not _that _big. The far wall was stuffed with screens where the people on the other floors could be seen. The desk had two computers on them and next to the only door there was a closet with nothing important inside.

'Remember, you stay in this room until I tell you otherwise. Clear?' Jack gave the two a piercing look.

'Crystal,' Lesia answered.

Jack nodded and for a moment hesitated. Then he grabbed his spare pistol and lay it down on the desk next to one of the computers. 'Just in case,' he muttered. He turned around and walked out of the door, leaving the two teenagers shocked.

'Alright, talk to me,' Jack said and the two of them turned their earpieces _on_.

Jack sat down behind a computer (which were already logged in) and started typing and looking at the screen.

'There's no footage of the cameras on the highest floor. However, the thirty-ninth floor is guarded three times heavier than the thirty-eighth.' Logan looked at the screens and they changed as he hit _enter_. After a couple of moments, he mumbled: 'Just go in the elevator and get out at thirty-eight.'

So the four Assassins got into an elevator and waited until they reached the thirty-eighth floor. However, the elevator stopped abruptly at the twentieth floor.

'I can't do anything about that. Someone else hacked the elevator and made it stop,' the boy said through gritted teeth. He was almost slamming the keyboard but he couldn't get control over the elevator.

'So, you aren't the best anymore...' Lesia said in a noting manner.

'Shut up.'

Again, a static noise. 'We will take the stairs then,' Ezio mumbled simply.

Lesia chuckled. 'Good luck with that.'

Logan pointed towards the screens where the four Assassins just ran up the stairs.

After a while Lesia got distracted by the other screens. They changed after a couple of seconds. On most of the screens wasn't much interesting. Just people working, making coffee, delivering files. But one of the screens showed them the most odd room ever. She wasn't even sure if she saw it correctly because it was already gone before she could even process it.

As a precaution, she turned her earpiece _off_. And Logan's too. 'This screen. Which of the floors can be seen on this screen?'

Logan gave her a look akin to scepticism but looked it up anyway on the computer. 'The floors two, ten, twenty-eight and...' He frowned. 'The basement.' He clicked on the word he just read and the screen changed into the images of the basement.

Both of the teenagers looked in shock, hesitation and confusion towards the screen that showed them the basement.

'Is that..?'

'I am not sure.'

The screen showed them a dentist-like chair in the middle of the basement. The chair had these... loose belts around it which indicated that the person who sat in it would be tied down. Next to the chair there was a small desk with a computer and a lot of cables and wires going from- and to- the chair.

'This is the Animus, isn't it?' Lesia whispered wide-eyed.

Logan had to readjust his glasses onto his nose before answering this. 'I... I think it is. It's the Animus.'


	16. Curiosity Killed the Cat

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'An Animus? According to the games it's a projector which renders genetic memories in three dimensions. But... I didn't know it existed.' Logan stared long and hard towards the screen were the Animus was located. Their earpieces were still turned off.

'But,' Lesia mumbled in the same disbelief as Logan, 'the Animus wasn't mentioned in the files of Ubisoft. How can it...' A moment passed and both of them just stared at the screen. 'What kind of company is this, Logan? Can you search through their database?'

'Child's play,' Logan muttered while typing onto the keyboard. He searched for the files but something blocked him. 'Password. Just give me a moment.' The boy fixed his eyes on the computer while Lesia turned her earpiece _on; _her father was in trouble.

'What's up?' she said while her eyes searched for the right screen.

'What's up? What's up?! Aren't you paying attention?! We're kind of in the middle of something!' Her father spoke with interruptions.

Finally Lesia's eyes wandered over the screen where the four Assassins were seen fighting on the thirty-fifth floor of the tower. They had to leave the stairwell because otherwise they would have been killed. Men with guns, bulletproof vests and helmets were trying to kill the four Assassins without killing the couple of innocent men and women on the same floor. The Assassins were hiding behind anything that could give cover such as: overturned couches, tables or just walls.

Lesia tried to get her head straight and asked: 'What do you want me to do about it?'

A static noise. 'Are there more coming?'

The girl frowned while searching for the screens that showed her the staircase – Logan pointed at it to help her. 'No.'

'OK.' On the screen she could see how Edward threw a gas grenade towards their enemies and immediately the four put their gasmasks on after while the gas (which looked weird and vague on the screens) spread.

While the enemies slowly fell to the ground Lesia turned her earpiece off and gave Logan a questioning look.

'The company is called Otho and... Actually it's just a lab for Ubisoft. Ubisoft makes the money, Otho spends it to invent, for example, the Animus. The Animus helps Ubisoft in return with the games,' Logan mumbled clearly impressed.

'Kind of a win-win situation then.' Lesia glanced back towards the Animus. 'Is this the only screen?' Except for the Animus, nothing else could be seen. It was just a really, big basement with an Animus in the middle of the room.

Logan nodded, turned to face her, caught her expression and widened his eyes. 'Oh no, Lesia. You're not doing whatever you want to do in that head of yours. Nuh uh. I will tell your father.'

She glared towards him. 'Mature,' she stated first, then she tried to reason with him. 'It's the Animus, Logan. Come on. It's an one-time experience! I _need _to check it out.'

For a moment the two teenagers glared at each other trying to convince the other. Then Logan sighed. 'Fine. I won't tell your dad. But just be quick about it. I'll stay here and pretend you're right by my side, happy?'

Lesia let a smile creep onto her face. 'Extremely.' She jumped off the chair she was currently sitting on.

'But... just take that gun with you. You'll probably need it more than I do.'

That made her less excited. It kind of gave her a stab of reality in her stomach. But it didn't stop her though. 'Fine. I'll take it with me. Just pretend I'm sitting next to you when you talk to my dad and I'll be back before you know it.' The girl repeated and grabbed confident the gun off the table even though she didn't feel confident at all with a gun and waved Logan goodbye while exiting the security room.

Logan turned his earpiece on and faced the screen where Mr. Amlee and the Assassins were still waiting until the last of their enemies fell to the ground – in a deep sleep.

Lesia walked past the security room where she had to walk through more hallways with even more doors. None of those doors were unlocked. At the end of the second hallway there was a metal door that led towards the stairwell. So when she opened the door carefully she thought she would be looking at stairs that went up and stairs that went down. There was only one stairwell, and it went down. Her father was currently in another stairwell that was located next to the elevators. She knew that much.

Lesia walked down as silently as possible while holding the gun tight. Her earpiece was still off but she could hear her father and Logan communicating over the situation they were currently in. The creepy thing was that the stairwell immediately led towards the room. No door – no guards – that blocked the way. And when she dared to glare into the room, the silence hit her just like a breeze. She was immediately aware of every muscle she was moving, every breath she was taking, every heartbeat... A cold shiver ran down her spine.

Still, she continued. Her curiosity got the better of her. Her shoes hit the concrete floor and she had the feeling that every step could be heard in Japan. She held her breath while glancing around the room. The red chair with the desk and computer were located in the middle of the room. Above the chair hung a lamp that should give the room a warm feeling. It didn't though. The lack of... everything made it as cold as ice. No furniture, paintings, windows... It reminded her of a cell. And she could know.

When she was near the Animus her eyes wandered over it. She noticed the little imprint on the chair that was caused by people who sat on it. It was a used chair – a used Animus. She looked at the leather straps that were located (if she sat down) on the arms, legs and ribs to keep a man or woman in place. Lesia tried to see the good in it: _Maybe the person who was in the Animus moved too much. _

That probably wasn't the case.

Lesia walked around the Animus towards the desk and the computer while breathing as softly as possible. She pressed _spacebar _on the keyboard and the screen lit up. It wasn't interesting – it wasn't logged in unfortunately.

The static noise of her earpiece mixed with the cold air in the room gave her another shiver.

'Mr. Amlee, you've got a problem,' Logan said in a very serious voice. 'More guards are rushing down the stairwe...' He stopped talking in the middle of his sentence – which didn't happen often to Logan.

'What?' Lesia had turned on her earpiece and didn't realize that she was now giving away that she wasn't with him in the same room. No one said anything about it, though. Not yet.

'Shit, shit, shit. We've got a major problem. Guards are entering the building through the front door. Oh shit.' Lesia had never heard him swear that much and felt her stomach twisting and turning. She didn't like it.

'Guards?' Jack asked.

'Templars, to be precise. Led by Nick.'

Lesia pictured Nick in front of the entrance, barging in and finding the sleeping men and women behind the counter. His men searching everything, finding a security pass... Suddenly she realized she had to get back to Logan as soon as possible.

With a gun in her sweaty hand she turned around and faced a man who was ten metres away from her current position. Lesia jumped in surprise and as a reflex grabbed the gun. And pointed at the man. But due to her sweaty hands it slipped between both hands and she desperately tried to catch it before it fell on the ground – which she did, but not without making a show out of it.

Finally she pointed it towards the man with a shaky hand and a feeling that she just made a fool out of herself. She felt stupid.

The man looked like a doctor; he was wearing a long, white lab coat and round glasses. He had short hair, an intelligent look, a dimple in his chin and very _furry_ eyebrows.

'What do you want?' Lesia said trying to sound a little stronger than she looked like. She was fully aware of the fact that her earpiece was _on_.

The man had an amused look in his eyes while watching her. He cocked his head when he said: 'I see you've found the Animus.' His words were soft and calm but... there was something about him Lesia couldn't quite put a finger on it. She heard her father asking questions, but no one answered them just yet.

'Who are you?'

The man sighed deeply. 'My name is Dr. Aikenheart. I work with the Animus almost every day.' He took a step in her direction and Lesia tightened her grip around the gun she was still pointing.

'Don't you dare come any closer,' she warned while taking a step back. She heard Logan curse, yet again, because Dr. Aikenheart showed up on the screens.

The man chuckled. 'Do you even know how to use one because it's not loaded.'

Lesia tried to hide the obvious expression on her face. She didn't know how to use one. She hadn't listened to her father when he explained to the Assassins how a gun works. Damn, she should listen to her father more often.

The girl had been distracted and hadn't noticed that Dr. Aikenheart shortened the distance between them to four metres.

_Damn it, Lesia, keep your shit together!_

'You are making a mistake by testing me.' She narrowed her eyes because she got this very uncomfortable feeling in her stomach.

'Do I now?' He raised a brow while saying the words. He had a shimmer in his eyes which she did not like at all. She needed to get out here. His eyes wandered over the Animus and it looked like he gave the thing a thoughtful thought. 'Did you know that the Animus is top secret?' He glanced back to her with a questioning expression.

Lesia bit her lip while glancing over to the stairs. If she ran fast, she could go back to Logan and leave this basement.

Even though she hadn't answered the question – it was more of a rhetorical one – he continued: 'Well, it's top secret. And I'd like it to let it stay that way.'

* * *

'Goddamn it Logan! Talk to me, right now!' Jack yelled while he through a gas grenade into the group of guards that were rushing down the stairs. They were shooting. The Assassins were shooting. It was one big gunfight.

Logan, who was still sitting in the chair on the ground floor, told Jack what he and Lesia found out and where she was now. Not a minute ago he had seen Lesia getting grabbed by two big guys while her gun was taken from her by the man in the lab coat. Logan assumed there had to be some kind of room in the basement Lesia probably missed. And while Lesia was dragged past the Animus, the man shot the cameras. He was now blind. And Lesia didn't answer so her earpiece must've been taken from her or destroyed. Either way, it was bad.

'Why does she never listen to me?!' Jack yelled in frustration. He sighed and tried to keep his thoughts together. 'OK. And Nick? Where is he?'

Logan glanced over to the screen and almost choked on his own spit when he realized the Templars had found a security card and where currently marching through the hallway that led to the room he was in and, if they walked past it, towards the basement. 'They are right outside the door. Oh shit.' He had blocked the door towards the security room, hoping it would keep Nick out who was walking the card. But since there was another hacker in this building, it was most likely that he would give the man access. He was screwed. And he knew it.

Logan closed every file on both of the computers, tried to put everything back nicely and then ran towards the closet where he stayed behind. Through a gap between the doors he could see the screen that showed him the door of the security room. He saw that Nick was already trying the card – but it denied access. For now. He heard the Assassins asking questions but he didn't answer. He was too scared that Nick would hear him.

'Logan? Logan?' Jack listened to the silence in the stairwell. The guards had fallen asleep due to the gas, but it had been their last gas grenade. They were on the thirty-seventh floor. Almost there. But they lost their eyes – they lost Lesia and Logan. It seemed like everything was against them.

'Alright,' he finally said and turned towards the three Assassins who were, just like him, out of breath. 'Altaïr, you go get Lesia. Ezio, you go get Logan. And Edward, we're going to the highest floor.'

No one objected. In fact, Altaïr and Ezio were already gone. Jack nodded towards Edward and they walked carefully over the sleeping bodies while heading up the stairs.

* * *

Lesia was staring at her earpiece that was laying on the ground in a hundred pieces. Dr. Aikenheart had stood on it so that she had no communication whatsoever. She was dragged by two men who were wearing blue shirts and pants (they reminded her of surgeons) into the doors she failed to notice the first time. Behind the doors was a desk located. Two hallways started on both sides of the desk and there were doors located. Probably rooms.

'What the hell do you want?' Lesia asked angrily. Her eyes were glasses because of the men who held her really tight. She wasn't even struggling but those men just liked to break arms or something.

Dr. Aikenheart crossed his arms while inspecting her. 'I know who you are,' he then stated.

Lesia raised a brow; why did everyone knew her all of a sudden?

'Yes... You're the pet of Mathias,' he said almost chuckling. He walked over to the desk and leaned against it, still holding the gun Jack gave to Lesia and Logan.

'The _pet _of Mathias?' She thought of the man with the scar and blinked a couple of times. When did she became a pet of him? What the hell did it mean?

'Yes. And he would be so pleased if _I_ returned you to him. Maybe I will become a Templar then.' The last bit he almost whispered, but Lesia had heard it. And her thoughts started whirling.

'You really think the Grand Master will accept you in the Templar Order just by doing this?' Lesia was gathering all the information she had ever learned of the games to keep the man talking.

Dr. Aikenheart narrowed his eyes. 'No, I am in charge of the Animus too...'

'In charge of the Animus,' Lesia interrupted the doctor. 'And just doing that doesn't get you in the Order? Something like that is even more important than delivering me to Mathias and you still aren't in it.'

Dr. Aikenheart loaded the gun and the sound of the slide made her flinch. 'You know, _pet_, I can bring you to Mathias but I can kill you too. Mathias just wants you to get that son of a bitch of a father of yours. But if I do it for him...' He pointed the gun towards her with an amused glance. Who on earth would point a gun with amusement?! He was insane and Lesia knew it.

'You killed a kid before?' she asked confident, though, deep inside, she was frightened as hell. 'I bet it doesn't matter with you. You keep people against their will here.'

He raised a brow. 'Those people help us. They just don't realize that at the time.' He moistened his lips. 'You played the games. I can see that. Desmond Miles? For a short time he was here. Strapped in that Animus. He provided us with the best information but he's dead now. Just like in the games. And that Shaun and that other idiot with him? They are dead too. Everyone is dead. Mathias didn't want any loose ends that could reveal anything about the games.' He gave her a moment to think about that. 'Yes. Mathias will accept me in the Order. Whether I kill you or not,' he breathed calmly.

'No!' Lesia yelled and was struggling again. The men next to her were growling because of this. 'You will never be accepted in that Order because you are loyal to _a man_. You don't seek to create the _perfect world_. You seek the acceptance of a man. Why don't you see this, Dr. Aikenheart?'

Dr. Aikenheart was thinking about her words, considering them. But then his expression changed to fury and Lesia realized she failed to convince him. With the gun still pointed at her he walked threatening to her and pressed the gun against her head.

'You speak nonsense, girl. And you failed to notice that you need to shut up when you speak no sense. Your ignorance is getting you killed.'

Lesia felt a drop of sweat running down her spine when she looked in the dark pools that most men considerate as eyes. Dr. Aikenheart was serious.

The man was about to shoot when, out of nowhere, suddenly a blade appeared from his throat. She was shocked – just as the men that held her. Before she knew it she was thrown aside while Altaïr threw himself on the two men. It didn't take him long to kill the two – he was far more skilled than those two.

Lesia was still dazed by the last couple of seconds and blinked a few times when Altaïr offered his hand to help her up. She took it.

'Don't get too attached to me saving your ass...' Altaïr said with a shimmer in his eyes while he pulled her to her feet. Lesia remembered saying those words the day after they had escaped from Mathias. It was kind of funny that the Assassin still remembered her words and she knew what came after it:

'... for you will not do it again?' She raised a brow while looking up to the man.

Altaïr shook his head. 'I will gladly do it again.' He pushed her softly forward and while Lesia really tried to not step in blood, he grabbed the gun off the ground and gave it back to her.

When they were back in the Animus-room, Lesia gasped for air. She couldn't remember she was holding her breath. The girl glanced over to Altaïr and finally noticed the poor man was sweating and panting.

'Don't tell me you ran down those thirty stairs...'

Altaïr chuckled. 'I did. Ezio did too. And we need to help him.'

The pair ran up the stairs but stopped abruptly in the middle. And then, slowly, walked back down into the Animus-room. Hands in the air. It was Nick who was pointing his gun towards the two and he gestured to them to walk backwards down the stairs. Behind the man they saw Logan and Ezio. They too had their hands in the air. And behind Logan and Ezio there were more men with guns.

'On their knees,' Nick commanded and the Templars brought the foursome harshly on the knees. Hands on the heads. Their guns were taken from them and the hidden blades too, unfortunately. Lesia was sitting next to Altaïr and Logan. Next to Logan was Ezio.

'Sir,' one of the guards said. He had just opened the doors and, no doubt, he had noticed the three bodies on the ground. 'He's dead.'

Nick sighed and waved the man off. 'Mathias will not be eager to hear about this.'

Lesia bit her lower lip while glancing around the room. How many guards were here? Ten or so? A lot. They were only with four. And they were unarmed. And her father? How was he doing in this crazy world?

* * *

'Sir,' a guard said while looking at the back of his boss who was standing with crossed arms. He was looking out of the window. The whole far wall was made of glass – it was one big window. He was on the fortieth floor of the tower he had fled to. His brothers were both dead and now that damn Assassin was coming for him.

Dexter turned around, gave the guard who had interrupted his thoughts a glance and then gave his hacker – who was sitting at the conference table located on the left side of the floor behind his laptop, watching everything. He made sure the elevator didn't work.

Finally he looked back to face the guard and gave him permission to speak.

'We got him, sir. He put up a struggle and didn't want to give in but he is here.' The guard gave him a slight nod and stepped out of the way so Dexter could see who the man was. And the sight he caught pleased him.

A man, who was held at gunpoint at both sides by two of his guards, was brought to his knees. His hands rested on his head and he had a cut above his eye that was bleeding. He was hurt and exhausted. He looked like a mess. Dexter's fears were suddenly gone.

'So, at last, the great Assassin Jack Amlee is kneeling before me. As it should.'

* * *

**Cliffie. Sorry guys, couldn't help myself.** :]


	17. The Last Brother

**Hey guys!**

**_Ri-chan_****: Well, Desmond is not really killed by the Animus or in that building. He is, however, dead just like in the games. I just wanted to show you that he had been in the same building – which wasn't "mentioned" in the games y'dig? And I'm not quite sure what you mean with "show us his ancestors in the games", his ancestors are like walking in this world so... hahah. **

**Anyway, I'm just gonna leave this here. **

**Have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

'It surprises me to see you here, Jack. In all those years fighting each other, we never had this opportunity – an opportunity to catch you. You were always a step ahead of us...' Dexter's words tasted like poison on the tongue. His eyes were green and could penetrate through walls. His hair colour was the blondest of the Lewis brothers. The Templar was walking, slowly, to get to him. He took his time to show Jack that _he_ was in charge – _he_ was God in this tower. Both of the men were aware of this.

'But, now, times have changed because of the appearances of three _legendary_ Assassins in your ex-wife's house were your daughter was staying alone. Does it surprise you that they appeared before your daughter?' Dexter raised a brow. He stopped in front of Jack who, still, had two guns pointed to his head at both sides. 'The universe is teaching you a lesson, Jackie. No matter how hard you try, some secrets _need_ to be heard. I think this secret has helped you in life.' It pleased the Templar to see Jack's expression. The Assassin knew what he was doing, which game he was playing, and he participated.

'And how has this helped me in life, Dexter?'

Dexter smiled at his question. 'It has reunited you and your daughter, hasn't it? I am one of the few who knows you have one in the first place. You should be happy about it, Jackie. But...' He shook his head in disappointment. '... you probably haven't cherished the moments with her, hmm? Oh yes, I know you too well.' He sighed as if he was lost in a wild fantasy. 'At least she will die for a good cause.'

Jack wanted to attack the Templar and rip out his poisonous tongue, but a third man held him on his place. 'It is never a good cause when innocents need to die for it,' he growled in a mixture of both frustration and anger.

Dexter crossed his arms. 'Spoken like a true Assassin. Wasn't it your motto? – Kill a few to save many? Some deaths are _needed_ to successfully achieve our goal. A perfect world. And we're getting there.'

The radio on the table next to the hacker started to make a sound and the hacker listened to it carefully and answered. 'Sir, Nick got them. All four of them. But... we're not sure where the pirate is located at the moment.'

Dexter's eyes flashed with anger while looking back at Jack. 'He was with you, wasn't he? Where is he?'

Jack remained silent.

'Where is Kenway?!' Dexter hit the Assassin in the face with his fist and Jack almost fell on his side – but the third man prevented him from falling.

Dexter was panting in anger while the two enemies glared at each other. Then the Templar started laughing. Hysterically. '_Don't compromise the Brotherhood,_ the third tenet. Jackie! Are you sure to put the Creed before everything else?' Dexter narrowed his eyes, pleased, while he saw the trapped look on Jack's face. He still didn't crack. _So it was time to make him crack._

'Tell Nick that he can do whatever he wants to do with Lesia as long as it makes her scream,' Dexter waited patiently while realization dawned upon Jack.

'Wait,' the Assassin said a little too quiet.

Dexter's hacker was speaking through the radio, telling Nick what Dexter wanted him to do without hesitation.

'Alright. You win. I sent him down so that he could help the others.' Jack bowed his head while shame was written all over his face. He heard the Dexter chuckling while the man walked towards the radio to report this. Jack felt his head pounding while he stared at the floor. He just broke one of the tenets. Or did he?

He looked back up towards the far wall that was covered in windows and he watched as a swift hand placed a sticky grenade on one of the windows. The sticky grenade was designed to break the glass – no matter how thick. And he didn't send Edward down, but up. To the roof. Before Jack had entered the building, he noticed that the building was climbable at the twentieth floor or so. Which was quite interesting and useful. So Edward went up to the roof and climbed back down. Yes, it was dangerous. But Edward liked dangerous.

When the grenade exploded, Jack was the only one who immediately took action and attacked the man on his right with a fist. He took the gun and aimed it at the other guy who was holding a gun in his hand. And he pulled the trigger.

In the meanwhile Edward had managed to get inside the room. The first guard that came into sight was really unfortunate for he grabbed the man and kicked the man out of the window. The second got a taste of his hidden blade. He took the guard's gun, loaded it and shot the man who was about to attack Jack while Jack shot the hacker right between the eyes.

Dexter was surprised by all this madness while in a blink of an eye all his guards were laying on the ground, not able to move again. It didn't even occur to him to hide or defend himself. The odds were in a couple of seconds changed completely. His eyes fixed on the two Assassins who were breathing heavily, both with guns in their hands, walking towards him.

Edward grabbed the man aggressively by his collar and threw him on the conference table while holding his hidden blade at the man's throat.

'Be quick about it, Dexter, and I promise you your death will be the same,' Jack said while looking down upon the Templar and grabbing the last key they needed which was hanging under his clothes.

Dexter's eyes flashed between the two Assassins and, finally, he swallowed hard. The fear was back in his expression. 'Solomon's library, Charleston, West Virginia. That's where it is kept.'

Jack gave him an intense look to see whether he was lying or not. He wasn't. Then he nodded. His fingers closed around the cross-key in his hand and he did a step back while Edward lifted the man off the table.

'You promised a quick death,' he accused Jack while Edward took him to the edge of the broken window.

'This death is as quick as can be, Dexter,' he answered and then Edward threw him out of the window. The two of them didn't wait until the man splattered onto the sidewalk, they were immediately on the move. Jack ended every program on that laptop and closed it so that they could take the elevator to the ground floor and then towards the basement to rescue the others. He would never forgive himself if one of them died down there.

* * *

Lesia felt the tension pressing on her chest. The four of them were still sitting on their knees, with their hands placed on their heads while behind each of them a guard stood with a gun pointed at their heads. She wished she could say that it was the first time a gun was pointed at her head. It wasn't. This was the third time within two weeks. And the second time this very same day.

She noticed the glares between Ezio and Altaïr as if they were speaking to each other in the oldest language known to men: facial expressions. It was of short duration because they didn't want to drag attention to their secretive behaviour. Nick, however, wasn't paying attention to all of this. He was waiting.

Then his radio made a static noise and as he listened carefully. He gave her an unreadable expression when the radio fell silent once again. Then he mumbled something into the ear of a guard and left the Animus-room only to enter the room where the body of Dr. Aikenheart was still laying.

She had watched him go when suddenly the guard pointed towards her and she was pulled to her feet and had to walk towards the doors.

Her friends could only watch her go. They were powerless in this position and the only thing they could do was object. And Ezio did it in Italian. And Lesia was almost certain of it that he was berating every single one of the guards in his native language.

When Lesia was thrown through the opening of the door – and the door was closed behind her – she heard her heart beating very loudly. She was nervous.

Nick was leaning against the desk with crossed arms while his gaze was directed at the floor.

Her eyes directed towards the three bodies and the puddles of blood they seemed to drown in. Their eyes staring into the void with no gloss whatsoever in them. Their skin as white as snow. She tried to suppress the urge to wonder if they had families which, she realized, made everything worse. Her eyes blinked rapidly while she focused them on Nick, trying to remember everything – anything – about the man. She could do only so little when her adversary was a grown man.

'You're not a killer, Nick,' she finally managed to get out. He hadn't said a word nor gave her glance. It bothered her. Being in a room with him bothered her. Being in a room with him and _three_ bodies bothered her. 'You had a chance to kill Ryan, your brother, but you didn't do it because Logan and I were watching. You're not a killer. You don't have to kill me or my friends.' She started confident but ended scared and whispering.

'I killed Ryan anyway.' His words were slight despondent and said in a hush.

From his response Lesia immediately understood that he was sorry. He was sorry for himself. And he was battling a battle inside.

'Nick...' Her words got stuck in her throat when the man looked up and his face held a mixed expression: anger, grieve, hate and indignation.

'I am not allowed to kill you. But I am allow- no, commanded to hurt you.'

A shiver ran down her spine when his words had reached her ears. She tried to remain calm – tried to stay focused – but her thoughts were swirling in her mind and it seemed that there wasn't quite enough air for the both of them in this room. 'And are you going to do that?' It sounded hesitant. It sounded as if she was a really, small child. Nothing made her happier than to return to her own house at that moment. Or any house. If she just could get out of that room.

'Yes. But then I realized that _I_ don't have to do it.' He pushed himself upright. The expression she had seen before was vanished and had been replaced by determination. He walked towards the door and she walked, without straying her eyes from him, towards the desk. They switched places. And while Lesia glanced towards the doors with clenched fists while the silence returned to the room. Nick had just left her standing here in fear of what might come.

And it came. A man. Broad shoulders, tall and a aggressive look on his ugly face. In his life he was probably mistaken for a giant too many times. Or the Hulk – without the green colour of course. He didn't struck her as an intelligent being so a conversation wasn't going to work. _He was going to hurt her. _

So Lesia acted like everyone else would in a situation like this: she ran. And she ran fast. She ran past the desk and into the hallway while trying every door. But they were locked. The giant ran after her, the ground shook as he did so. It made everything worse and yet it encouraged her to keep running and trying.

After the fifth locked door she finally got one that opened up. She entered the small room and slammed the door shut. Luck was on her side for a bookcase – with not many books in it – was located next to the door. She pushed with all her might against the bookcase while she heard the giant nearing the room.

Finally that stupid thing fell down onto the wall and blocked the door. She was panting while she looked at the blockade. She knew it wasn't enough, so she looked around the room for more stuff. A desk and a bed with no mattress. She went to work and tried to keep the giant out while he was body-slamming the door. It wouldn't take long before he came through the door and the bookcase. And then... Well, then she was fucked.

* * *

Logan felt the pressure on his chest while Nick had sent a very _big _man to the same room where Lesia was located. He could almost _feel_ the gun on his head even though it wasn't near his head. He was aware of the fact that lives were at stake. And he was aware of the fact that Ezio and Altaïr had a plan. He didn't know what it was though, their expressions were puzzles to him. His arms were aching. They were sitting in the basement for almost an hour and the position he was sitting in was taking its toll. He swallowed while watching Nick pacing the room. The man had an unreadable expression on his face while sunken in thought.

When a guard walked up to Nick and they didn't pay attention to their hostages, Ezio and Altaïr's eyes met for merely a second and then, both of them, grabbed the guns that were pointed towards them and disarmed the guards who held these. Ezio was somehow just in time to kick the guard that pointed his gun to Logan's head so that the bullet, which flew out of the gun, ricocheted off the floor.

Logan was thrown by Altaïr behind the Animus for cover when both sides were shooting at each other. He adjusted his glasses and glanced towards the stairs where the sound of a door was heard. Edward and Jack rushed down with pistols in their hands while shooting the Templars in their backs.

The boy had placed his hands on his ears, for the sound was agonizing.

When every guard was laying on the ground including Nick who wasn't showed mercy at all – killing Ryan in such disgraceful manner didn't exactly give you points by the Assassins, Jack asked:

'Where is Lesia?' He clearly hadn't forgotten that Dexter didn't withdraw his order.

It was Ezio who went with him through the doors. They were just in time to hear the sound of something heavy hitting the floor in the back of the hallway. Both of the men rushed towards the sound and found the giant stepping on the bookcase – splintering the wood under his weight – while Lesia had pushed herself against the wall, desperately trying to get away.

It was Ezio who grabbed a piece of splintered wood and just forced it without a wince into the giant's neck. And as the Giant sunk to the ground, Jack had walked towards Lesia who finally noticed her father. She came running to meet him and, in a fit of relief, both of them swung their arms around each other.

Jack felt Lesia shaking in his arms. He felt bad for her. For her and Logan. He agreed with Dexter that some secrets needed to be revealed, but this one wasn't one of them. What was happening right now was an absolute nightmare. It was the thing he had most feared, the thing he had tried to avoid. He had brought danger upon his daughter. And although this whole situation had gotten the two of them back together, he still wished it hadn't happened at all. The safety of Lesia always came first. Even if it meant that he would live the rest of his life in absence of his daughter.


	18. The First Piece

**Hey guys!**

**Finally a new chapter awaits. I am so sorry for the wait but suddenly life decided to get busy. Soooo yeah. School and stuff. It's always the fault of the school, isn't it? For, like, everything. **

**Anyway, yes updates will be slower and yes I'm sorry for that. But I will finish this story, no worries, because I've got this all figured out. :}**

**So yeah, have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

The three corrupt brothers were no longer living. The first step was taken. They knew what was inside. They knew how to open it. And they knew where it was. The three things that were essential to the homecoming of the Assassins. Shouldn't Lesia be happy about this? Thrilled? At the moment she didn't feel anything, really.

She had walked with Logan and her father back to the car and there the two teenagers waited until the four of the Assassins were ready with whatever they were doing. Wiping away fingerprints? Something like that, probably. Anyway, it didn't take them long – they had no time because people splattering on sidewalks didn't usually go unnoticed.

Their last stop to finding the Apple of Eden was Charleston. West Virginia. They drove back in the right direction – towards home. And Lesia could only think about home and a shower. Most definitely a shower. There was no place in her mind that thought of anything else but a nice shower and home. No deaths, bodies or guns... just a nice, hot shower.

They drove from Atlanta to Charleston via Charlotte. Along the way they had to pay toll. They stopped three times for gas and to pee. And they did the usually thing; they slept for a couple of hours in the car somewhere in an abandoned parking lot along the road. The news told them about the death of the Lewis brothers and that their family was devastated about it. They had no clue why they were so _brutally_ murdered. And that was understandable: the news didn't know a damn thing about the Templar-Assassin war. The news also told them that Ubisoft still hadn't answered the fans.

Almost nine hours they wasted in the car with listening to the music, chatting or sleeping.

It was raining when they entered Charleston. Lesia had been playing a game as they did so. She usually hated the rain in the summer holidays. It was still July. But for some reason she didn't hate it at that moment.

Lesia had rested her head on Ezio's shoulder, eyes closed, while her father drove through Charleston. It took them an awful lot of minutes to park the car in the street next to the street where the library was located. It was not because her father couldn't find it, he just wanted to make sure no one was waiting for them.

They stepped out of the car and walked towards the library. The library wasn't major or striking. It was just a library in a street. The only reason why no one confused it with a house was because _Solomon's Library _was written above the entrance in bold letters. It didn't look like much, therefore it was the perfect place to hide something so powerful.

They went up the stairs and through the door where they found themselves in... well... a library. It was a small building but that didn't mean it had little books. The first and second – which you could see from where you stood – floor were overflowing with bookshelves with books. Between rows there were wooden tables with chairs so that people could sit down while reading if they preferred. A big woman with blond, thick hair greeted them with a nod. She was sitting behind a counter.

'A little too modern...' Logan murmured in her ear and Lesia nodded. He was right. The books were modern. The Apple of Eden had to be here. In this library but... surrounded by modern books? Did Dexter lied to her father? If it was her, she would've. If the Knights Templar had mean everything to her, she would have taken the secret to her grave. But maybe she didn't understand Templars. Or Assassins.

Lesia was pulled out of her thoughts by her father who walked casually to the counter and, just like that, showed the three keys to her.

The eyes of the woman inspected the keys, then she inspected her father and finally gave everyone a glance. She nodded and gestured to them to follow her.

So they did.

Lesia was kind of suspicious about all this. It was obvious the woman recognized the keys. But did she know that the keys were taken from the brothers? Did she know the Lewis brothers? Had she listened to the news?

Questions were floating in her head as Lesia walked next to Edward. The woman took them to the back of the library where a door was located that only could be opened with a key she had. On the door a famous sign was nailed: _AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY._

Apparently, they were authorized personnel because the woman opened up the door – which revealed a staircase that went down – and held the door.

Jack was the first who walked down, Ezio the last, and when they all were walking down the stairs, the woman closed the door behind them. The door wasn't locked or anything, she just gave them their privacy. Which was appreciated. Until it was not.

Lesia kind of was suspecting something like a door or a wall where the keys would fit but that wasn't the case. At the end of the staircase there was just another room filled with bookshelves and books. And that was it. No door or wall. Just books.

'What the hell is this crap?' Lesia asked annoyed while walking in between two bookshelves. She stopped for a second to watch one of the many rows of books and came to the conclusion that not many 'authorized personnel' came down here. The books were covered in a layer of dust. This whole room smelled old – and not in a good way.

'These books are old and authentic. I am quite sure every book in here is worth a glance,' Logan whispered in awe in a row next to hers.

'Well, mate, rather you than me,' Edward replied dryly while shrugging his shoulders. He gave Lesia a glance who was nodding in agreement. She wasn't really into books as well. Especially old ones.

Everyone came to the end of their rows and watched, mainly, Jack as he was seen as the leader.

Altaïr had crossed his arms. 'Dexter did not mention this, now, did he?'

Jack shook his head with a frown. 'Just one more puzzle to solve.' The man sighed. He, too, was tired of all this. Actually, he was tired for a really long time.

'My father had a chest hidden in his office. I think the door is hidden too and the books are the key,' Ezio said while his hand was rubbing his chin in thought.

'Or _a_ book. We should investigate the books. Only the books that have something to do with the Templars, of course...'

'Yes!' Logan cheered a little too excited. 'We should do that. Lesia and myself will start at the _S_.' Logan grabbed her wrist and took her to the right bookshelf while leaving the four men who weren't that surprised with Logan's behaviour.

'You are a little _too_ happy. It's creeping me out, Logan,' Lesia quipped. They were standing in front of a bookshelf that was standing against a wall. The titles of the books didn't start with the _S, _the writers did. Some names Lesia couldn't even pronounce normally because it wasn't all English.

'Well, if the books are the key to the Apple...' Logan started softly. In the meantime the four men had spread out and were now, too, walking around the bookshelves, searching for books that had anything to do with the Templars.

'... I maybe know a book that could save the trouble. Not sure though if it's...'

'Wow, wow, wow, wow. WOW. Hold on a minute. You know a book?'

Logan nodded.

'That has something to do with the Templars?'

He nodded again.

Lesia frowned. 'I don't understand. Why would you want to start with the _S_? I would start with the _T_ because y'know... _T_emplar.'

'Yes because there was a man who was named _Templar_ and wrote a book about himself. Dexter put a clue in that book so that he could find the key towards the lock which lead to the Apple of Eden. Would that be obvious? I'm not sure...' Logan narrowed his eyes as if he was trying to think. He was mocking her.

'Sarcasm,' she stated slightly annoyed. 'Didn't know you could speak.'

'I can speak more languages than you know.' Logan gave her a little smile, trying to be genuine and friendly, but his words were a little too cocky. Ah well, it was Logan.

'Okay,' she breathed. 'Tell me about your book.'

After her words Logan immediately turned around and glanced towards the bookshelf, while looking for it. 'Actually, the book is divided in two books. But I think the book we're looking for is the first one. It's not a book that I would... prefer to read...'

'So it's not a book of science,' Lesia interrupted with a raised brow.

Logan nodded. 'It certainly is not.'

'So what is it about then?'

'The book we're looking for contains conjurations, invocations and curses to summon and constrain spirits of the dead and demons in order to compel them to do the operator's will. It also describes how to find stolen items, become invisible, gain favour and love, and so on. Well, that's what Wikipedia says.'

Lesia felt a little unnerved with this. She didn't really like demons or anything. She wanted to stay away as far as possible from that world. 'Okay... That sounds fun. What the hell are we looking for? Who wrote the book?'

Logan squared his shoulders while meeting her gaze. 'It's called the _Key of Solomon_. And it's written by Solomon himself. It seemed only fitting that Dexter would choose a book that carried that name and was written by the man whose name was on the same building. You know Solomon's Temple had something to do with the Templars. So this has, too, something to do with them. Only not that strongly. I can be wrong, of course. Either way, we should find out.'

After his words their eyes started to dart towards the books, trying to find the book they were looking for. And after a while they sighed.

Logan pointed towards two books which were placed high on the shelf. 'If these books are correctly placed alphabetically, the _Key of Solomon_ should have been placed right between these two books.'

Lesia cocked her head a little while staring at the two said books. 'Who says _the Key of Solomon_ is in this library? I mean, it's probably somewhere in the Vatican or something if it's written by Solomon himself.' She shrugged her shoulders while glaring back towards Logan who was cleaning his glasses with his shirt.

'Like I said: I can be wrong.' He put his glasses back onto his nose and simply eyed her.

She frowned and looked back at the books. The problem was that Logan was never wrong. So either the _Key of Solomon_ was stolen or hidden somewhere in this library. And because the shelf was too high for her, she couldn't see what may or may not be on the second row. If there was second row, of course. So she sighed and pushed Logan aside.

'Alright, stand back. I will climb this shelf to see if you're wrong. If I fall down you better catch me.' She exhaled deeply and then placed her hands on the first shelf she could grab and her feet went on the first shelf she could reach. Like a monkey, she started to climb the shelves while she tried not to inhale all the dust.

When she reached the shelf with the two said books, she started to investigate. Maybe it was underestimated but climbing old bookshelves wasn't particularly easy. She threw the two said books indiscriminately over her shoulder to get a better sight while Logan tried to catch them carefully. It were old books he didn't want to see suffering while Lesia was being too busy to care. She frowned while she reached her hand for two lost books that were placed behind the first row of books. With her finger – and almost losing her balance – she wiped the dust off of the two books so that she could read what was on it.

The two books looked similar to one another and the only thing she could really say about it was that they were old. The cover wasn't that inviting: it was leather brown. The _Key of Solomon _was written in an almost unreadable handwriting on both books.

'You said part one eh?' she breathed. Her muscles were aching because she was standing too long on the shelf.

'Yeah...' Logan replied a little surprised.

Lesia grabbed the book that she thought was part one and pulled it out of the shelf – or that had been the intention. The thing was, it got stuck on the first row by something Lesia couldn't see. When this happened a metal _click _could be heard as if she had sat something in motion. And she did, because suddenly a loud, metal sound could be heard and the bookshelf (and the wall it was placed against) started to move.

Lesia jumped down on her feet, didn't maintain her balance and fell on her rear while the wall with the bookshelf was moving to the left like a door.

Logan had put the books aside and was about to help Lesia up to her feet but both teenagers were too hypnotized by the secret door that revealed itself.

The Assassins had obviously heard the sound and came running only to be hypnotized, too, by the door.

Behind the wall there was a metal door located with three keyholes in the middle of it. Above the keyholes a cross had been engraved in the door: a symbol that often was associated with the Templars.

'I believe we have found what we're looking for,' Altaïr mumbled behind them.

Logan helped her to her feet and she dusted herself off. Her eyes fixated on the door. Her mind fixated on the thing what lay beyond.

'What would we ever do without you two?' Jack smiled while making his way past them and towards the keyholes. After all, he was the one with the three keys in his hand.

'It's more like what we would do without Logan. He is the genius here.' Lesia had wrapped an arm around his shoulders while smiling towards him. If it wasn't for him, they never would've been standing here.

Logan, however, rubbed his head in shyness. The poor boy didn't like to be standing in the spotlights.

She gave him a playful punch against his arm, smiling, and then retreated herself while watching her father putting the second key in the lock. It were three different locks so her father had a 50/50 chance if he had chosen the right key.

When the last key was turned another metal _click_ could be heard and the door opened inwards.

Lesia wiped her hands on her shirt when they entered the secret room. She was a little nervous, a little excited. The room smelled, in contrast to the previous room, almost fresh. Yes, it smelled musty, too, but it wasn't _that_ bad because there were no books in this room. There was nothing. Except for one thing.

Everything that had been standing here was gone. Lesia suspected it had been paintings or figurines or statues. Something probably expensive. But the thing that was placed in the middle of the room on some kind of little shrine couldn't be sold for money.

Upon entry, the brown/orange ball started glowing. First it were just the weird engravings that had an orange glow but then the whole ball started glowing a bright light. The six watched in awe how the Apple of Eden reacted to them and they couldn't look away. It was as if the ball read them all, hypnotized them, took them away somewhere... and then it stopped.

The Apple of Eden stopped glowing and returned to be what it looked like: a weird-ass ball on a weird-ass shrine.

The six blinked while it seemed as if they just had woken up.

'No one may ever held that much power,' Edward said while wiping a hand over his face.

The others agreed. Lesia, Logan and Jack shared a glance because they knew of the power. They have seen it in the games. They knew what it could do and they knew that even the best sometimes gave in to it. Like Altaïr when he fought against Abbas.

Jack, who had put on some gloves, grabbed the Apple and put it in the bag he had taken with him out of the car. He made sure there was nothing else they missed and then they left the secret room.

'Well, we are one step closer to getting you guys home,' Lesia said to the Assassins while her father was busy closing the door, getting the keys and closing the wall/bookshelf so that there was no trace whatsoever that they had been there.

'We should get going home. Get a nice shower, fresh clothes, a good night's rest. From there we need to figure out where the Templars have placed the second Piece of Eden. And finally we need to search for the third too. Luckily we're not on our own with that one, my best men are working on that.'

Lesia got tired at the thought of all that and stretched. 'I could use a shower.'

'Indeed, _bambina_. You reek of dead mouse,' Ezio joked and gave her a wink.

She made a face and pushed him playfully. 'How dare you say that to me? At least I use deodorant Mr. I-don't-want-that-because-it-burns.' She gave him a glare which he returned.

Altaïr stepped in. 'I am on Ezio's side with this. Deodorant is not natural and cannot be possibly good for you.'

Lesia stuck her tongue out.

'Mature,' Ezio replied laughing.

', says the man who calls me _bambina_. Yes, I know what it means. I Google-translated that shit.'

Now they were all laughing. Most of them just laughed because of the word _Google_ and how she pronounced it.

They walked out the library and into Charleston. Lesia glanced at the office buildings in the distance. Every city looked the same and yet it didn't. Charleston wasn't the biggest city, but it looked decent. She didn't want to even start about the next Piece of Eden and where the Templars could've hidden it. She honestly had no idea. No one had. So tomorrow or the day after – depended on when they got home – would be all about finding a clue to the next piece of the puzzle.


	19. Riddles

**Hey guys!**

**New chap already. Damn. This one is a little calm. **

**Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far!**

**Have a good day and enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

It took them eleven hours to get home. Jack drove without interruption to Lesia's home where everyone got out. It was late or really early in the day, it depended on how you looked at it. Lesia was the first who ran towards the shower while the Assassins plumped down on the couch. Logan left as soon as possible towards his own house and Jack too. He had received the key of Lesia's home so that he didn't have to ring a bell. He just drove back to get a couple of things, shower and put on some fresh clothes. By the time her father got back in the house everyone had fallen asleep.

* * *

Lesia woke up at around noon. The first thing she noticed when she moved out of bed where her aching muscles. The previous days she had done a lot of things that she never had done ever in her life. And her aching muscles where the result. Yay her for not practicing any sports. Lesia chuckled to herself while grabbing her phone to check it – like she did every morning. She was glad she finally could charge it at home. Yes, she was one of those girls who couldn't live without it anymore.

After she checked her phone and realized she had no messages, she jumped in the shower to scrub the last bit of filth off of her. And, of course, to wake herself up. She brushed her teeth for like seven minutes and then changed into a simple sweater with hood and jeans.

The girl walked down the stairs and could hear voices coming from the living room. She yawned first before entering the living room and finding out that everyone was already up. Everyone was wearing fresh clothes and seemed to be ready for action.

She greeted them, they greeted her, and she sat down at the table.

'Tea?' her father asked and she nodded.

She watched him make the tea without making a mistake. She got a weird feeling upon the sight: her father had lived here, of course, and he knew exactly where everything was. Her mother didn't change a thing after his departure. And it was just weird to see him standing in the kitchen as if he had never left the house.

'Thank you,' she said when he gave her the steaming cup of tea and wrapped her fingers around it. The Assassins were watching TV in the living room and commented sometimes on the things they saw.

After taking a sip of her tea she said to her father: 'Do we already know where the next Apple of Eden is located?' Her blue eyes gave him a questioning glance.

Jack shook his head. 'We do not. We're actually waiting for Logan. I think the answer or a clue has to be in those files on his laptop. But as you can see, he isn't here yet.'

Lesia was just about to take another sip of her tea when the screen lit up of her phone. Someone was calling her. She placed her cup on the table and grabbed her phone, frowning. 'If you speak of the devil...' She picked it up.

'Logan?'

'Lesia! You're awake. Good. We have a problem,' Logan said a little bit annoyed.

'A problem? Logan, are you okay?'

'Yes, _I'm _fine. I appreciate your concern. But you do need to head over to my house because I am not allowed to go out of it. My mother and father think I'm doing drugs or something and you need to convince them otherwise.'

Lesia burst out in a laugh after hearing this.

'It is not funny. Lesia. Good God! Lesia stop laughing!'

'Just _chillax_ man. I'm coming, just sit tight.' Lesia ended the call and locked her phone. She felt the questioning glare of her father and looked up.

'Logan's parents don't want him to leave the house so I need to convince them otherwise,' Lesia explained while she grabbed her shoes and tied them.

'Ah, that explains a lot. Well, be careful on the streets. I'd like to walk you to his house but you probably don't wa...'

'Nope, I don't. I can find his house, don't worry. If something happens I'll call you or something. So, bye. See you later.'

Lesia closed the front door behind her and started to walk in the direction of his house. She knew her father wanted to keep her safe but she could walk herself to Logan's house. It wasn't that far. She crossed the road and took a right to his street.

The familiar golden gate came into view, just like the Porsche and the BMW which meant both parents were home.

Before she knocked on the door, she inhaled a deep breath. The only thing she was good at was talking. Negotiating. She hoped she could convince his parents, otherwise Logan couldn't go with them anymore. And that wasn't fun now, was it?

Lindsey opened the door as happy as always. Her bright smile and twinkling eyes made Lesia smile automatically. It was crazy how the woman could affect your mood and change it for the better in an instant.

'Lesia was it, right? Come in. We wanted to speak to you about Logan anyway.' She opened up the door fully so Lesia could enter the house which was still looking the same. White, light and really fancy. The painting was still hanging on the wall.

Lindsey closed the door behind her. She was wearing a business outfit but at the same time it was classy. She was wearing a jacket with a skirt – all in white. Golden earrings, necklace and bracelets matched, of course. Her blonde hair waved with every step she took on her white heels.

'Where is Logan?' Lesia asked while looking around curiously.

'He is in the basement, thinking. Before we start the conversation, would you like a chocolate muffin?' She walked toward the kitchen and came back with a plate full of muffins.

Lesia's eyes grew wider. Muffins were the best things in the world. 'Yes please,' she smiled while picking one out and eating it. Muffins could make a grown man act like a child. And they were delicious and sweet and sugary. Man, she loved muffins.

She thanked Lindsey for her kindness when the two walked towards the living room and sat down on the white, soft couch.

'So, what about Logan?' Lesia asked a little concerned.

Lindsey straightened her back and gave her a serious look. 'Well, yesterday he came home and, honestly, he looked like a zombie. I don't know what you've been up to lately, but it can't be good. I talked to my husband about it and he agreed that whatever you two are doing can't be legal.' Her eyes really tried to maintain the serious look, but her mouth couldn't but smile an apologetic smile. 'So if you please be so kind to tell me what you are doing. I can take it, drugs or alcohol, it's all fine, just tell me.'

Lesia pasted a friendly smile on her face. 'Logan and I aren't doing anything illegal. I would never touch drugs and, as you know, I'm far too young for drinking alcohol. Logan and I are friends. We play games until early in the morning. Sometimes we hang out with some friends. It's as simple as that.' The honesty she was speaking with, the genuine look on her face... It almost scared her. She almost scared herself. Maybe she wasn't only good at talking, but lying too. She wondered who she had that ability from. Or maybe she already knew.

'Yes, well, maybe I was exaggerating. I know I do that sometimes. And honestly, I didn't believe the drugs story. My son would never do something so foolish. He knows better than that.'

After her words Morton Hayward walked into the room and Lesia was a bit surprised. Except for the dark hair, Logan didn't look at all like the man. Morton was fierce and forced attention on himself as soon as he walked into the room. He probably didn't care if he was standing in the spotlights while Logan, on the other hand, hated it. They were complete opposites of each other which was weird and funny at the same time. Morton was a broad man – not fat, just broad – and tall. He had a serious face – he probably barely smiled but that was understandable. He was a famous businessman. One of the richest. Lesia got that Logan wanted to make his old man proud of him. Morton was a man who held a lot of power.

Suddenly Lesia wondered why they never asked Morton for help. Everything would be a lot easier if he helped them and Logan could show him how fucking awesome he was and make him proud. It was like the best solution ever. She should ask Logan about it when he got out of the house. If he got out of the house.

'Hey, honey. I was just telling Lesia here about our suspicions.' Lindsey stood from the couch and walked over to her husband who waited patiently until his wife would go on with speaking.

'Turns out they didn't do any illegal things. They just _chilled _with friends. That's how you say it right?' Lindsey gave Lesia a questioning glance and Lesia laughed.

'Yes. That's right. You can test my blood if you don't believe me.' She rolled up her sleeve and held up her arm to make the point.

Lindsey chuckled and Morton just watched her with a frown. He cocked his head just a little.

'That won't be necessary. I believe you on your word.' He put the papers – he had been holding the whole time – on the table. 'You clearly didn't came here to chat with a pair of old socks.' He raised a brow. 'I presume you want to c_hill _with him again?' Logan's father didn't smile but his words weren't unfriendly. It was like the perfect balance between friendly and unfriendly.

'If that's an option I would very much like to take it, yes.' She put on her sweetest smile while glancing between the two parents of Logan.

Morton glanced down toward his wife while Lindsey met his gaze. For a second they were having a silent conversation through gazes and then Morton sighed as if he was giving in. 'Alright then. You can find him in his basement.' He waved her off and she thanked both of the parents while walking out of the living room. As she heard Lindsey humorously complain about the fact that she had just been called an 'old sock', Lesia almost bumped into Logan who had been listening the entire time.

'They were really mad at me, how did you get them so friendly?' he asked while the two of them walked out of his front door. He was wearing fresh clothes and looked well-rested. For some reason he had already counted on that she would be victorious because he had everything he needed with him.

'My charms are irresistible,' Lesia quipped while wiggling her eyebrows.

Logan laughed at the sight. 'You are very creepy. Don't do that again, please.' But then, in a more serious voice said: 'Thank you for doing what you did.' He held the bag with his laptop tighter against his chest.

'Hey! We're a team. We got each other's backs.' She smiled to him and then remembered the thing she wanted to discuss with him. 'Oh! I was wondering why we hadn't ask your father for advice for... all this. He seemed like a smart man who probably could help us. He has the power to do that, I mean he probably owns a big company.'

Logan abruptly stopped walking and with his dark eyes glared towards her.

'What?' she asked indignantly.

'We're not asking my father for help,' he stated.

Lesia innocently raised a brow. 'Why not?'

The boy shook his head. 'We just don't.' He started walking again. They crossed the road.

'Great argument. You should become a politician,' Lesia mumbled sarcastically. And then sighed. 'Can you just explain why not?'

'Because I don't want to,' he replied matter-of-factly. 'If I explain to him everything that had happened to us and what we discovered... He won't believe me. He will think that I am crazy. I mean, fictional characters that came to life? It still sounds crazy to me.'

Lesia rolled her eyes. 'Firstly, they aren't fictional. They were real a lot of years ago. Not that that makes everything less crazy but... still. Secondly, I can explain it to him. I don't mind being called crazy.'

'But _I_ mind that you will be called crazy, okay? Just accept it. It's not going to happen, Lesia.' His voice was suddenly very strong – it was something he _really_ didn't want to happen. The relationship between Logan and his father... She would probably never understand it anyway.

'Why are you acting like my father? Damn, I feel like my opinion in this group is irrelevant to everyone in it.' She crossed annoyed her arms while they walked into her street.

Logan studied her for a moment with a playful expression. 'That's because it is.'

She turned her head towards Logan seeing that he was smiling.

'Shut up, Logan.'

'Ah, come on, I know there's a smile somewhere.'

'Logan... You're not funny... Stop it. Logan... Goddamn it Logan!' She broke and smiled because Logan was acting crazy. 'I hate you,' she stated as serious as possible while ringing the bell of her own house.

The boy smiled victoriously. 'Nah, you don't.'

Jack opened up the door and let the two teenagers come in. As usual Logan went straight to the table, opening his bag, placing his laptop delicately on the table. They had to wait until he had clicked on the files they stole from Ubisoft and then he had to get out of his chair because her father wanted to see the files.

In the meantime Lesia was watching the news. She was worried that the police had found fingerprints in the office building but, according to the news reporter, the police hadn't found anything. The cameras of the building acted crazy on the night of the murders – that was Logan's fault. So the police didn't know anything yet. Or that's what they wanted to let the people know. Maybe they had it all figured out and were at the moment driving with sirens blaring towards her house.

Lesia shrugged off the thought about the police and walked towards her father who was intensely studying the files as if his life depended on it. She plumped down next to him on a chair and watched with great interest at the screen. It didn't matter how many times she read the files it remained interesting.

When he was almost at the end of the files he shook his head. 'It's just a lot of information, nothing indicates a location of the Apple of Eden.'

'Are you sure they have another one?' Edward asked who was laying on the couch with arms tucked behind his head.

'No doubt about that,' Jack mumbled softly as he scrolled down to the end. And then he saw what Lesia had seen the first time. A riddle.

'_Thousand pieces of colored glass where fingers will always intertwine. Surrounded by blades of green grass, in possession of the Divine..?' _He muttered out loud. He cocked his head a little and reread it. Lesia read it, too.

'Oh yeah, the riddle. I read it too. But it didn't seem that important because we had your address,' Lesia commented while she gave the riddle another thought.

When Jack finally looked up from the screen he had a frown on his face. 'This riddle definitely leads to _something_. And Templars never do something like this unless...'

'Unless it leads to something,' Logan finished his sentence. The two shared a glance.

'Probably something expensive...' Edward said aloud.

'Or something powerful,' Altaïr mumbled, clearly deep in thought.

The six gave each other a glance. Everybody was agreeing that this was probably the clue they were looking for. So the first thing they did was cutting the riddle in... a riddle.

_'__Thousand pieces of colored glass,_

_Where fingers will always intertwine._

_Surrounded by blades of green grass,_

_In possession of the Divine,' _Jack repeated himself, somehow he thought it would help to say it out loud.

Silence fell upon the room while everyone was thinking about the riddle. Lesia was the first who complained about it:

'Why can't they be more specific? Damn, I always sucked at those riddles.'

Logan straightened his back and glanced over to her, taking advantage of this situation. '_The beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end and the end of every place._' He raised his brow while he waited on an answer.

'Really? You think one riddle isn't enough to think about?'

He shrugged. 'Just to get you in the mood. So, what's the answer?'

Lesia sighed while thinking about the words he had said. Eternity, space, end, place... To her, it just looked like one deep poem. Even though it wasn't a poem.

Before Lesia could tell him she had no idea, Ezio had given the poem some thought and answered: 'It is the letter _E_, am I correct?'

Logan nodded. 'Very good. Next one: _I never was, am always to be, none ever saw me, nor ever will, and yet I am the confidence of all who live and breathe on this terrestrial ball._'

Altaïr snorted unimpressed. 'This one is easy. It is _tomorrow_.' The man crossed his arms while leaning against the kitchen counter.

Again, Logan nodded. 'Alright, I think you may have a chance with this one Lesia. _My life can be measured in hours, I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick. Fat, I am slow. Wind is my foe.' _The boy gave her an expected glance as if it was the easiest riddle in the world. It wasn't! How the hell was she supposed to know such things? These things were meant for _Nicholas Cage_ or _Bilbo Baggins_. Not Lesia Amlee.

She shrugged with a dumb look.

'A candle,' Edward mumbled as if it was nothing.

Lesia rolled her eyes. 'Whatever.'

Logan chucked while shaking his head. 'Last one. The Assassins cannot guess this one. _Poke your fingers in my eyes and I will open wide my jaw. Linen cloth, quills, or paper, my greedy lust devours them all._'

'Cute,' Lesia mumbled. If the Assassins couldn't guess this one, it would mean the answer is something 'new'. Something that had been created after their existence. But what could possibly...

'Pair of scissors.' Her father had interrupted her thoughts with the answer. And now, she felt stupid. Riddles made her always feel stupid because most of the time they were so obvious and yet she never had the answer.

The girl rolled her eyes for the second time and returned to the riddle at hand. 'If you guys could work your magic riddle-skills on this one, that'd be great.'

Everyone returned their gazes back to the screen and, once more, a silence had fallen. Lesia was frowning while she read the riddle for the seventh time. _Where fingers will always intertwine. _This part made her look towards her own hands. She placed her palms against one another and wove her fingers together. The first thing that came to mind while looking at her hands was a prayer. And suddenly she understood the riddle.

'A church. It's a church.'

Logan nodded in agreement. 'Indeed it is. Colored glass is the same as stained glass, which you will most definitely find in a church.'

'Nice an'all. But I've looked around and there are many churches, lad. Which one is it?' Edward gave Logan a keen look who faced the screen once again, thinking.

'It should be a known one. With so few clues, it should be a church that is known among many people,' Altaïr offered but he couldn't help more than that. He didn't know any churches. Just like the other Assassins; they couldn't help with the church.

Jack cleared his throat. 'The only church I can think of, which is in possession of the Divine, is the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.'

Logan nodded, again, in agreement. 'Yes. It has stained glass. Though it isn't, like, _surrounded _by blades of green grass, but the Morningside Park is located next to the cathedral.'

Jack nodded while glancing between Logan and Lesia.

'So New York it is?' She asked cautiously while watching her father.

He nodded again. 'New York it is.'


	20. The Divine

**Hey guys!**

**Updating almost a week later. Jeez. AND it's also a short chapter. Jeez. AND I'm too tired to correct any mistakes. JEEZ. **

**Well. Whatever. Anyway, I had no inspiration to write. Idk why. Sometimes that just happens. And it's fucking stupid. **

**But from now on it's going to be a bumpy road towards the end of this story and I'm thrilled to write all that! So...**

**Have a good day - or night in my case - and (try) to enjoy this short chapter. **

* * *

The head of Lesia Amlee was spinning. The teenager was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had tried to get some sleep, like her father suggested, but it was impossible to fall asleep. Her thoughts were too messy, everything she had seen was still fresh in her mind. It wasn't necessarily the amount of death she had seen the previous days – which disturbed her because she had seen a lot of death lately and it didn't affect her in the way it should – it was the rest. The uncertainty, the travelling, the fear, the surprises, the fighting... It didn't matter if they succeeded; her summer was most definitely ruined. Yes, she had wished for an unforgettable summer... but this? This was cruel. Meeting her heroes with the knowledge that, when they disappeared again, she would never speak to them again. Ever.

Lesia sat straight up in her bed but didn't get out of it. Altaïr and Ezio were sleeping in the living room so she didn't want to wake them by getting a glass of water. She was excited to go to New York, even though they weren't planning on seeing... New York. Except for Amsterdam Avenue or _Tenth Avenue_ – as she was told by Logan. They would see just a little bit of Manhattan. It was enough for her, though. She never had been to major places like that – except for the big places like Atlanta, the places she had to visit because of the current situation she was in.

It was still dark outside Lesia noticed as her eyes were staring out of the window. She really hated the feeling she had: She wanted this to be over, she wanted to get the Assassins home but something deep inside her didn't want them to go. Selfish? Perhaps. She wished that there was a way that they could keep in touch. But that was impossible, unfortunately.

At eight o'clock Lesia got up. She stepped in the shower, washed herself and brushed her teeth. She wasn't surprised to see that everyone was already up. The girl made herself some breakfast and while she ate, the Assassins showered one by one. Her father had slept, too, in her house which was kind of weird.

She texted her mother back that she was alright, chatted with the people who were in the room until Logan rang the bell. He didn't get in because _they_ got out. The six of them got in the car – this time Lesia had recovered the passenger seat and Logan had to sit in the back with the Assassins while her father drove.

It was a two hour drive from Lesia's house to New York which wasn't long at all compared to Philadelphia or Atlanta. During the ride no one talked. Everybody was occupied or too tired to say anything. The silence wasn't awkward, luckily.

New York was, of course, a whole different city. It was _the_ city. The city that was printed on t-shirts, the city you could see in cinemas. It was the largest city in the United States with plenty of historic monuments and countless dazzling skyscrapers. She couldn't stray her eyes for one second from the window when they entered the city. Even the Assassins were impressed. Edward, of course, knew the city but he couldn't find the words to speak when he pressed his forehead against the window to stare at the skyscrapers, just like a little kid.

As they drove through Manhattan, looking for Amsterdam Avenue, the conversation started.

'So... What are we looking for exactly?' Lesia questioned. 'I mean, in the riddle it isn't really clear.'

'Riddles rarely make sense. According to the riddle it could be either glass or grass,' Logan mumbled more to himself.

Ezio joined the conversation. 'And _what_ are we looking for?'

'Or the riddle doesn't say anything about it and we just have to look for ourselves,' Altaïr responded to Logan while he was still looking out of the window.

'We are looking for anything. Anything at all. We will be here until we have find something.' Jack parked the car a couple of streets away from the cathedral and the six of them got out. They started walking towards the cathedral while they talked. They would split up in the cathedral to search for anything that may lead them towards the next Piece of Eden – or another clue. They agreed upon a place where they would meet up once they were finished. Jack also told every Assassin to behave – no murdering, climbing or other abnormal behaviour was tolerated. They had to behave just like any other ordinary man.

When the cathedral came into view Lesia felt a little bit intimidated. It was a beautiful cathedral – despite incomplete destruction. The detailed facade towered over Amsterdam Avenue and the building extended a full avenue block to Morningside Drive. It is over a hundred years old and it's still unfinished. It was the largest cathedral in the world and had a Gothic Revival Style – Logan told her.

'In a city full of skyscrapers, this cathedral impresses me,' Logan told her in a whisper. Lesia agreed.

When everyone got inside this massive building, they spread out. The inside was even more beautiful – if that was possible – than the outside. It had a lot of symbolism. And, unfortunately, she was with Logan. So she had to listen to his never ending chatter about the history of everything. What struck her was the stained glass. It was really beautiful and mentioned in the riddle so they stared far too long at it but never found anything useful in it.

The whole day they were busy staring at things Lesia would never stare at. The six of them tried to, somehow, find a clue in some of the statues but it was in vain. Nothing indicated an Apple of Eden or symbolised Templars or anything, really.

They walked until their feet hurt and they had to get out of the cathedral because it was about to close. Lesia and Logan were the first to arrive at the bench they would meet up.

'If I'm not going to heaven because of this then no one will,' Lesia mumbled while she plumped down on the bench and immediately closed her eyes. She had never, ever, spent so much time in a cathedral.

It didn't take long before the others came back. They were in the same state as Logan and Lesia – damn tired. And empty handed.

'Nothing... Just nothing. Was the riddle a joke?' Ezio asked clearly annoyed. He sat down next to Lesia and sighed heavily.

'The Templars are probably laughing their asses off by now,' Lesia mumbled without opening her eyes. The sun was setting and she wasn't just tired, but she was also hungry and thirsty.

'I don't understand... We probably missed something...' Jack struggled with himself. He really believed, no, he _knew_ that the answer was lying in that building.

'Not where Lesia and I looked. There were a lot of symbols but nothing symbolised something useful – something we were after.'

Altaïr inhaled deeply. 'I am quite sure I didn't miss anything.'

'Maybe we went to the wrong building,' Ezio offered and turned his head to look at the cathedral in thought.

Lesia, however, noticed the silence surrounding Edward. He hadn't spoke up – which was quite rare for Edward. In fact, he was staring at the ground. And Lesia immediately knew he had done something.

'Edward, what did you do?' she asked keenly.

All eyes turned towards Edward who looked up with a crooked smile gracing his face. 'Well, I found something. But I couldn't take a look at it properly because the cathedral was about to close... So...' He pulled out a metal cross – just like the keys of the Lewis brothers – and held it so that everyone could see it.

'So you stole it? You stole from a cathedral?' Lesia hissed in disbelief. She blinked rapidly while looking at the cross which was the symbol of the Templars. But it was just a cross.

'Well, it's better than nothing.' Jack took the cross and studied it for a moment. He pulled at the end of it but this cross wasn't a key – it was too big for that.

Lesia stared at the metal thing as her father tried a couple of things. But none of them worked. It was just metal shaped like a cross. Yes, it was the symbol of the Templars but it didn't mean that it was the answer to their question.

When her father shook his head in defeat, Lesia was the one who noticed something. While the others were talking about the riddle – to be precise: they were talking about other cathedrals or churches that could fit the description of the riddle – Lesia asked her father to pass the cross on. Which he did. She studied the thing for a brief moment and rotated it in her hand. The thing that caught her eye was the end of the cross. Or, so to say, every end of the cross (there were four ends). She shook the thing trying and listened – she got the feeling something was _in_ the cross. She was struggling with one end of the cross when, after some time, it came loose and broke.

Jack frowned while he watched her daughter holding out her hand at the end of the cross, catching anything that could come out of the cross.

Surprisingly something _did_ came out. A little, rolled-up paper that had been untouched for a long, _long_ time.

The six of them stared at the rolled-up paper with furrowed brows and surprise and Lesia was the first one to word everyone's thoughts:

'I believe we have just found what we were looking for. A clue.'

* * *

**I'm laughing at this because it's so short. x[**


	21. Breaking Walls

**Hey guys!**

**Back again with a chap. I don't really feel like saying anything other than that we're nearing the end of this story. Yes, soon it will be over.**

**But anyway, I just wanted to say to Diligite; thank you for helping me with this chap. You are the best. =]**

**Have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

As Lesia rolled out the little paper that came out of the cross she felt the eyes of her companions burning. Everyone was as tired, as tensed as she was. They were eager to know what was written on the paper. And when Lesia finally could read it, she wasn't surprised at all to find another riddle:

'_Under a town in State of Bay,_

_Where past and present almost touch,_

_Hidden in a place where day is night,_

_You will find architectural light.'_

Lesia turned the paper to see if that was it. It was. She passed it on to her father who wanted to read it for himself.

'State of Bay? Bay State – it's definitely in Massachusetts,' Logan said confident. His eyes shimmered from behind his glasses. The nickname of Massachusetts was Bay State so it wasn't wrong to think the _thing_ they were looking for was indeed in Massachusetts.

'_Hidden in a place where day is night_,' Ezio muttered softly. 'So that would mean it is always dark.'

'Somewhere where the sun does not shine,' Altaïr nodded.

Jack gave everyone a quick glance. He watched the frowning and thinking faces until he came to Lesia.

He narrowed his eyes.

Lesia was staring to nothing in particular. Her posture could be best described with the word _petrified. _She looked petrified. Her eyes a little wider than usual and she surely wasn't processing the words that had been said about the riddle.

'You okay?' Jack asked with a raised brow. His eyes didn't express any emotion – as usual. For some reason, along the way, he had lost his soft side. When he had held his daughter for the first time, he had watched her with an affectionate expression. But after leaving her, he had become more cold. He had to play his part as an Assassin and wasn't allowed to be distracted. To be soft.

Lesia turned her head slightly and her staring gaze fell upon his eyes. A couple of seconds passed.

'You want to hear something very, _very_ odd?' She raised her brows in a questioning manner. She had cocked her head a little and glanced towards her friends.

Jack cocked his head as well - the movement ran in the family - and he waited until she would reveal her thoughts.

The girl moistened her lips. 'I think I know where it is. I think I know the answer to the riddle.'

Again, a short silence fell upon the group until Logan cleared his throat almost awkwardly.

'Well,' he started, 'that is rare and _extremely_ odd. Would you care to enlighten us, the simple-minded?'

Lesia was tended to give him a playful punch but restrained herself. 'Westbrook, a town near Boston,' she said confident.

'Why?'

'First of all, the town is located in Massachusetts. Secondly, Westbrook is kind of a special town. Underneath the town there is some kind of old temple located in a large cave. So, no sunlight. I believe the temple is the _architectural light _in the riddle...'

'... and the old temple and the modern town are separated by a layer of what? Asphalt? So the past and present almost touch,' her father finished her sentence.

Lesia nodded. 'That's right.'

Jack rubbed his chin as he thought about this. 'So what's wrong with the cave? And, the most important question, how do you know this?'

'Well, the cave isn't really enterable. Or, rather, it's hard to enter. I am not sure why though.' She then gave him a pained expression. 'And, well, the reason I know this is because my mother told me.'

'Your mother told you...' Jack repeated slowly as if he hadn't heard it right the first time.

Lesia nodded. 'Yes. See, she is kind of on vacation. There. My mother and stepfather started in Maine, then Vermont and finally Massachusetts. She always wanted to see Boston and they should be in that area right about now. What a coincidence huh?'

'I don't believe in coincidences,' her father said and took the paper out of Edward's hands to look at it once more.

'Well, anyway, she was chatting my ears off about the place and that she would enter the cave no matter what - or something.'

'Why would your parents go there? Boston is like four hours away,' Logan asked uncomprehending.

She shrugged. 'I don't know maybe because they are as dull as dishwater. Why'd you think I didn't go with them?'

He readjusted his glasses. 'I thought you didn't go with them because you hate your stepfather.'

She wanted to counter that but then dropped the attitude. 'Okay that's true.' She gave him a smile and he returned one.

'Well, we could give it a shot,' her father said finally. 'And we could drop by your house to eat, sleep and shower,' he continued to Lesia.

She nodded promptly and the six of them made their way towards the car.

* * *

The next day they drove to Westbrook which was a two-hour drive. They all had taken a shower and got some sleep. Logan had slept in his own house, as usual. Together they had left the house once more.

Lesia was currently looking out of the window, her head leaning on her hand, eyes closed while she listened to the radio. They had stopped for lunch just an hour ago. Her breathing steadied as the car drove. She could feel her consciousness ebbing away to the point that they were almost at the end when her father's voice invaded her mind and she was startled awake.

'We're here.'

The Assassins and Logan, who were sitting in the backseat, got out of the car while Lesia rubbed her eyes tiredly. She then looked up to see where her father had parked the car. It was in a parking lot. The town wasn't big – compared to the big cities it was nothing. There were a couple of office buildings but no cloud-touching skyscrapers. The best way to describe Westbrook was _cute_.

Once Lesia got out of the car the six of them started to follow Jack who had done some research about the town. They had to get to the other side of the town. There was no stairway that could lead them to the cave – so they had to be careful on their way down. Well, that's what the internet said.

The six of them had walked past a couple of streets, crossed a couple of roads and they were now heading towards a square. Her father wasn't leading the group anymore. Ezio and Altaïr had taken over, followed by Logan and Edward, then Lesia and Jack. Lesia was walking with her hands in her pockets, staring at the ground, brainlessly kicking a rock. She didn't know why her father was walking behind her. Maybe he was just getting old or something.

She had taken two steps on the square where an ice cream cart was standing, people were walking and people were sitting on benches when her father pulled her back into the shadows of the building.

The Assassins and Logan didn't notice the sudden happening.

'What's wrong?' Lesia asked not sure if she wanted to know.

Her father gave her an unreadable expression while his lips were pursed. He pointed silently towards the ice cream cart and Lesia turned around to find out what all the fuss was about.

It took her a couple of blinks, a frown and a stare to finally realize why her father acted the way he did.

'Oh my God, you've got to be kidding me,' she mumbled in disbelief. 'Of all people...'

Jack nodded in agreement. 'I know right.'

Both of them were staring at a woman with blonde hair. She was wearing a black t-shirt, a jeans and her jacket was tied around her waist. The woman was looking – and laughing – at a man who clearly loved to eat. The man was wearing a simple white t-shirt with numerous sweat stains on it. The two were standing in line to get some ice cream. They were talking and laughing like teenagers who were totally in love and then they shared a kiss.

'Ugh,' Lesia and Jack groaned synchronously.

The two people they were staring at were Lesia's mother and stepfather. For some weird reason fate had to let the two watch them kiss each other.

'I could use a vomit bag by now.' Her surprise had slowly bubbled into disgust when she saw her stepfather kissing her mother. Even at home it made her angry. It made her realize that her mother was happy with a pig.

In the meantime the Assassins and Logan had noticed that they were missing two of their group members and they were now waiting on them on the square.

Jack and Lesia were still watching the two who were now buying some ice cream.

'You _have_ to feel good now. I mean, look how ugly that pig is! You're a greater catch than he'll ever be,' Lesia mumbled while glaring at her stepfather. His hair was becoming gray and today it was oily. It was disgusting.

'Thank you, I think,' he responded with a frown. 'Anyway, pull up your hood and you'll be fine.'

She did as he said and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, making sure that he was walking in the middle between Lesia and her mother. Of course, he was looking the other way. Jack hadn't seen his ex-wife in years. If she recognized him he would be in trouble. But she didn't. She didn't even care to glance in their direction, which was good. Just to be sure, though, the Assassins made sure that Lesia and Jack couldn't be seen by the two.

However, just before Lesia left the square, she gave her mother and stepfather – but especially her mother – one final glance. It was as if she was looking at another world – a world she could never return to. It was right then and there in Westbrook that Lesia realized that the old life she once lived would never be the same again.

The six of them walked on as they neared the edge of the town and Lesia had pulled down her hood as soon as she had left the square.

'The temple was purposely built in the cave and it was formerly used as a tourist attraction until a man somehow bought it and never did anything with it. You can say it wasn't a famous tourist attraction because no one felt like building a stairway to it.'

'Who is the man?' Altaïr asked curiously as the trees came into view – a sign that they had arrived at the end of the town. If one went past the trees, said person would have to descend a steep slope with a lot of bushes and twigs.

Jack shrugged. 'The article said it was a company. I wouldn't be surprised if it was either Ubisoft or Otho, the one that contained an Animus.' He inhaled deeply and focused on the others. 'We need to find the cave. It is said that is on this side of the town but watch your step as you look down. The slope is very steep.'

After his words the six of them spread out and, luckily, it didn't take long before Ezio had found it and told everyone, quietly, to move over to where he was standing.

'Two men are guarding the entrance,' Ezio mumbled while pointing downwards so that Jack could see the two men. They were armed.

Lesia was hugging a big tree, dangerously leaning forward to get a glimpse of the two men. Then she saw the two men. They were just standing, not really doing much. Their arms crossed and in their leather holsters there was a gun, worn over a belt. While she was watching the two men, not really listening to the conversation that was currently going on between the Assassins, she got curious. She wanted to see more of the cave. Just an tiny opening... the beginning...

So she leaned a little bit more. For a moment she got what she wanted: she saw a tiny bit of the inside – which was too dark – and then, somehow, she lost her balance. And the tree she had been hugging suddenly had become too big. Her hands slipped off the tree trunk as if it had been varnished and she fell.

Lesia rolled down the slope. She rolled through bushes and twigs, thorns snagged her clothes and twigs scratched her skin.

When she finally made it down the slope, she was dizzy. The girl grunted as she slowly looked up towards two surprised faces.

It took a second to dawn upon her and then her movement froze while she stared at the guards. She was lying in the dirt while her thoughts ran through her mind.

'Well, this is awkward,' she muttered to herself as the guards finally made a decision and were making their way over to her – probably to ask her if she was alright. They never made it to her, though.

Altaïr and Ezio already had made it down the slope. They were now walking silently behind the two guards, grabbed them fiercely and choked them.

Lesia hoped both of them were unconsciousness instead of dead.

'When are you ever going to listen to me?' Her father had made it down the slope as well, followed by Logan and Edward, and was now walking towards her to help her up. His voice had sounded like an angry father, but his face told her otherwise. He almost looked worried.

She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet.

'I honestly don't know,' she mumbled, quite truthfully.

Jack sighed for a moment and then inspected her for open wounds. 'Are you okay?'

Lesia nodded and brushed the filth off of her clothes. 'I'm good.' She probably had a couple of bruises and scrapes – nothing major. She'd live.

Her father turned around to face the Assassins who were waiting patiently. Ezio had crossed his arms while Edward and Altaïr had put their hands on their hips. Edward had probably already searched the guards.

'We're going in. Be on your guard, we don't know what's in there. But, most of all, be stealthy. Look for descriptions, rolled-up papers, books or the Apple of Eden itself.'

The three of them gave Jack a stern nod and they started to walk towards the cave. Jack, however, turned around to Lesia and Logan who were standing next to each other.

'And you... Stay close. Don't wander off and, most importantly, listen to me or one of them. Just don't listen to yourself, please. Especially you, Lesia.' He gave her a keen look whereas Lesia raised her hands innocently.

'Alright, come.'

Jack took off towards the cave, following the Assassins who entered the cave first. The cave had been this black hole to Lesia. Along with the first step she took in the cave came a stale, humid smell that entered her nostrils. The cave took a turn and it became darker. She could barely see her hand if she held it in front of her face. But this was just for a moment because the cave stopped and on their left there was an opening. A wide opening.

When Lesia had finally stepped through it, she forgot for a moment how to breathe. This big, spacious _room _had appeared. The smell was still there but it was now intertwined with the smell of a fire. The reason because of this was because at both of the sides of the cave a fire was burning in metal containers. The temple, which was laying beneath them, was a really old building, made of stone. It had a description on the front but it wasn't in English. The temple reminded Lesia of ancient Greece – it consisted of pillars and three steps. It didn't have a door, however, and it wasn't made out of marble. The temple was brown, just like the cave.

Lesia was pulled down by Logan and the six of them were now hiding behind a stone guardrail which smelled very old and, for some reason, muddy. The temple was guarded by more guards. Nothing they couldn't handle, but still.

Ezio and Edward were stealthily walking down the slippery steps at her left while Altaïr and Jack were walking down the steps at her right. Logan and Lesia had been commanded to stay where they were hiding until someone would tell them to come out. So they did.

It took them a couple of minutes, a muffled cry, a loud _bang _and the sound of breaking bones to clear the area and tell the teenagers to come out.

Lesia and Logan walked down the steps and joined the Assassins. Most of the guards were unconscious and dragged to the side. They were about to start a conversation about whether to translate the description on the temple itself when a bright light blinded the six of them. It was coming out of the temple. Everyone knew immediately what produced this kind of light – they had seen it before (and some would see it again). It was an Apple of Eden.

The six of them entered the temple and Lesia was kind of disappointed. The inside of the temple was really showing its age – most of the things were unreadable or faded. It was a pity but she couldn't be too sad about it – they just found the second Piece of Eden! The second piece of the puzzle! Just one more and the Assassins could go home. Finally. Sadly.

When her father had put the engraved ball – which had stopped glowing when they entered the temple – in a bag, they walked back. Or that had been the intention.

The six of them stopped in front of the entrance of the temple, glaring at a man who was standing behind the guardrail and in front of the opening – the only way out.

'Do you really think it is that simple, Jack?'

A shiver immediately ran down Lesia's spine when she heard that voice. His appearance made her hair stand on end. She could recognize that scar anywhere.

'I don't know, Mathias. I suppose it isn't?' The hostility in her father's voice surprised her.

Mathias chuckled as if it all was a game. To him it probably was. 'You are correct. Stealing two of our most powerful artefacts...' He shook his head. The man was still smiling sweetly. _Sickly_. 'Well played, Jack. Well played. But sooner or later _someone_ has to be punished for your actions. And you and I both know who that person is...'

Jack's hand went immediately towards Lesia and the action didn't go unnoticed.

Mathias chuckled yet again. 'Oh, Jacky... you never fail to amuse me. Well, we'll see, won't we? I'd love to stay and chat but I am afraid I've got to go. I hope I won't see you ever again.' With that Mathias turned around and disappeared through the opening.

'That was... odd,' Logan mumbled.

Before anyone else could comment on the odd appearance of Mathias the cave suddenly started to rumble. The flames of the fire started to dance against the walls as the cave made a really loud noise. It seemed to be growling at them - or that was how Lesia saw it.

'What is happening?' She asked panicked while Jack had moved himself to the centre of the cave and was looking up.

'This is Mathias' way of saying goodbye,' Jack mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. 'Alright, we've got to go _now_. The cave is about to collapse.'

Lesia had just made it down the three steps of the temple when suddenly everything happened in slow motion. Large pieces of stone were falling down around her and the group. She could just see a glimpse of Logan who was about to get a large piece of stone on his head when Altaïr threw himself on the boy. Half a second later it was her father who threw himself on her.

She landed _hard_ on her shoulder while the both of them rolled on. She felt the ground shake and things crashing into her while she tried to get a hold of herself. Dust was flying around her and she inhaled it deeply whilst she was trying to catch her breath. This made her cough but there was no time. And her father made that clear.

Jack was already standing and had pulled his coughing daughter to her feet. There was no time to waste. They _had _to get to the exit. They had to get out of this cave because Westbrook was about to fall down on their heads.

He ran. He ran as hard as he could, pulling Lesia behind him who couldn't see a damned thing. Things were falling around them and they almost tripped over one of the guards.

Miraculously, they made it towards the steps, through the opening and out of the cave only to find out that they were the first ones who made it out.

Lesia was breathing unsteady and heavily while she was staring panicked towards the cave. She hadn't even realized that her father was talking to her until he kneeled down before her and took her face in his hands – forcing her to look in his blue eyes.

'Are you hurt, Lesia?' he asked with a serious voice. He was filthy. She was probably just as filthy as him.

She blinked. She didn't feel her body at the moment – she didn't _know_ if she was hurt. But she shook her head anyway.

When her father was on his feet again, Ezio and Edward came running out of the cave, panting. Both of them looked as filthy as Jack and both of them were coughing. Jack rushed up to them.

'It was impossible to see anything in there,' Ezio mumbled between coughs. 'We have no idea if Altaïr and Logan made it.'

Lesia felt her heart hammering in her chest after the Italian's words. _Logan and Altaïr didn't make it? There was no such thing, right?_

The ground was still shaking and the cave was about to collapse. The loudest _bang_ she had ever heard followed by what felt like the worst earthquake ever made her almost lose her balance. It punched her in the face, figurely speaking. The cave collapsed and a cloud of dust was blown into their faces when it happened.

Lesia turned away, trying to prevent that more dust was blown into her face while she shielded herself with her arms.

For a moment it was completely silent. Her heart was beating in her throat and she had goosebumps. _Where were Logan and Altaïr?_

Then Lesia let the noises back in. Most of them were screams that came out of the town. She wiped her face with her filthy hands when two figures were walking towards them. They were both almost unrecognizable due to the dust.

They walked slowly, the taller figure seemed to limp.

Logan had lost his glasses somewhere along the way but that didn't stop Lesia from running up to him and hugging him as tight as she could. Surprisingly, he hugged back. She closed her eyes. For the first time she had been really, _really_ concerned about her life and the lives of her friends. For the first time she doubted her and Logan's involvement in this.

* * *

**For the people who hadn't figured it out yet... Westbrook is made up.** **Btw, I'm very tired so excuse the mistakes. **

**Hope ya'll like it. Peace.**


	22. Revelation

**Hey guys!**

**A nice new chapter awaits. I can say that, from now on, shit's going to hit the fan. :o**

**That's all for me now. Tell me your thoughts about this chap!**

**And as usual, have a nice day and enjoy.**

* * *

Lesia Amlee felt pain. The numbness of her body had disappeared when Altaïr and Logan came out of the cave and now she felt pain. It was mostly in her shoulder because she hit the ground with her shoulder when her father threw himself on her to save her. And she wasn't the only one with pain.

Altaïr was limping slightly because he had been stuck under one of those large pieces of stone and Logan had to help him pull his foot out. Ezio had a deep cut on his forearm which was bleeding, Edward was still coughing dust, Logan seemed lost without his glasses and Jack seemed okay... but at the same time he didn't. Lesia knew that her father hid his emotions behind a wall of cold- and seriousness.

Sirens had joined the noise of people screaming and this made Lesia realize that a part of Westbrook just had collapsed... and her mother had been in Westbrook.

She immediately grabbed her phone out of her pocket. Her phone had been clean until her dust-hands touched the screen, unlocking the phone.

'What are you doing?' Her father asked. He had been helping the Assassins with some of their struggles when he noticed that his daughter pulled out her phone.

'What does it look like? I am going to call mom.' She pressed the 'call' button on her Iphone when her father grabbed her phone and ended the call immediately.

'You can't call your mother now, Lesia,' he said sternly. 'If she answered your call in the first place, she would know something is wrong.'

'Why?' She was frowning and her irritation was slowly bubbling into anger.

'Because your voice is shaking.' Jack sighed and with that he dropped his strict-parent attitude. His eyes became softer and he gave her a sympathetic look. 'Listen, you can't call her until this has been on the news. Otherwise it would be suspicious to her.'

Lesia narrowed her eyes. 'I just need to know if she's alright! Just give me my phone back.' She tried to take it from him but he was too fast.

'No. Do I need to spell it out for you?'

She felt her anger blossoming. 'What the hell is wrong with you?' The girl gave her father a piercing look.

Jack didn't blink while he stared right back into her gaze, his eyes not once leaving her. 'It was a mistake,' he mumbled through clenched teeth while he looked towards the ground. 'This was all a mistake.' He looked back up. 'You can call your mother when this has been on the news.' With that Jack turned around and left a perplexed Lesia standing.

A mistake? Did he see her that way? Lesia didn't understand.

Her anger was ebbing away while she slowly returned towards the group. Her father had taken the lead and they had to walk around the part of Westbrook that had been collapsing. The sound of sirens and yelling people could be heard. Lesia, however, didn't hear them. She was shutting everyone out while she thought of her mother. Maybe her stepfather was hurt. If that was the case she didn't have to worry about anything.

Her father had been smart when he parked the car at the other part of town – the part that hadn't collapsed. She had been afraid that people would report their group because of their appearances. The feeling immediately disappeared when they entered the town and found out that they weren't the only ones who were extremely filthy. A couple of people came up to them and asked if they were alright – which they were – and the six of them made their way towards the car.

The drive towards Jack's home in Saratoga Springs took them three hours. They went to his house because he said it was the safest place to be at the moment – and he needed to hide the second Piece of Eden.

Lesia had turned on the radio in the car and as soon as the events in Westbrook were mentioned, she got her phone back and made the call. But neither her mother nor stepfather picked up the phone, which made her worry even more.

When they arrived at her father's home they took turns to get into the shower. Her father had ordered some food, with which they were already finished. Logan was currently sitting behind his laptop – with a new pair of glasses – at the kitchen table, Altaïr was sitting next to him. Lesia and Ezio were sitting on the couch watching TV, Edward was in the shower upstairs and her father was in the kitchen, cleaning the plates. Her hair was up in a ponytail – it was still wet due to the shower. She had been thinking about the words her father had spoken back in Westbrook. What did he mean by mistake? Was she a mistake? Had the temple been a mistake? Why would he even say something like that? She was lost and annoyed.

After the fight in front of the temple, her father hadn't said anything to her. He suddenly became cranky and, for some reason, angry. And it had bothered her.

Lesia threw the remote towards Ezio who caught it perfectly and happily changed the channel. She stood from the couch and walked to the kitchen. She made sure to close the door behind her when she had entered. The last time she was alone with her father in his kitchen, they fought. And now, she guessed, this conversation would eventually turn out into another fight. Actually, she was certain of it.

Jack had heard someone enter as he was washing the plates. He didn't know who it was until she started talking:

'What did you mean by mistake? What was a mistake?'

Jack sighed as he slowly stopped with what he was doing and leaned, for a moment, against the kitchen counter. His back was still turned towards his daughter. He considered his words but there was no way of saying this friendly.

'Why can't you just let it go, Lesia?' he tried. Avoiding this conversation would reduce the damage. But, his daughter was stubborn. As stubborn as him.

'Because! Haven't I been already in the dark for far too long?'

In response to this, Jack shook his head ever so slightly, and he finally turned around to face Lesia. He studied her for a moment.

'What did you mean by mistake?' she pressed, getting impatient.

'This whole thing. It was a mistake. You, and Logan, becoming involved in this war... That was a mistake,' he said a little blunt. The man crossed his arms.

Lesia narrowed her eyes. 'So, basically, you're saying that seeing your daughter after years was a mistake?' She felt kind of sick after this question and found herself scared of the answer.

Jack didn't flinch, or changed his expression, after this question. He was as serious and cold as always. 'There was a reason that I left you, years ago. And that reason was to protect you from the Templars. Now, you are in danger anyway. You are involved. Which means that all those years were for nothing.' He neither acknowledged nor denied her question.

'Yeah, so? So what if those years we're for nothing? You can't get them back anyway, you can't change anything, you _cannot_ do something about them. They will always remain. You can either accept that fact or not.' She gave her father a keen look. '_I_ accepted it, _dad_.'

Jack shook his head and wiped a hand over his face. 'You don't understand, Lesia. You can't possibly understand it...'

'Then help me try to understand...'

'No!' His voice had suddenly become loud and strong. Because of this, Lesia startled. 'You can't. Maybe it's hard to imagine but I, too, had a tough time during those years. I couldn't see you. I couldn't see or speak to my own daughter, whom I had left without explanation. I understood the problems, the _struggle_, but I did it for your own safety.' He wanted to say more but was interrupted. Someone was calling him on his phone and he picked it up.

As he was answering his call in sentences that consisted of three words or less, Lesia crossed her arms impatiently.

'Yes? Good. Where? OK. Meet you there. Yes. OK. Bye.' Jack ended the call and slid his phone back in his pocket.

'So, I am guessing your Assassin-friends just located the whereabouts of the last Piece?' She cocked her head a little as she watched him closely.

Jack simply stared back. 'Yes. They did. And you and Logan are not coming with us.'

His words had the same effect as a punch. 'Are you fucking kidding me?'

'It's better to stay here, at my house. I am not putting you and Logan in danger again. I'm done with that. That was the reason why I left you the first time and it's the reason why you will stay here.'

Lesia had been widening her eyes in disbelief as the words sank. 'No. No! What the fuck? They appeared in _my_ home. I've got the right to come with you! This is bullshit. If we didn't go to your house, you wouldn't even _be_ in this group. You know? This _fellowship _as Logan calls it. You don't have the right to say something like that to me!'

'I do,' he said simply. 'I am your father.' This answer made everything worse.

'Oh? All of a sudden you became my father? You can't just _become_ my father whenever it suits you. You can't just...' Lesia had been pacing around the room while she talked. Then she made a growl and walked towards the door. When she had touched the door handle, she turned around one last time to face her father.

'Tell me...' she started, slowly and a little shaky. She looked up in his blue eyes - they were watching her calmly. 'Just tell me. If this hadn't happened – if I hadn't show up at your doorstep...' Lesia was looking for words – actually, she was lying to herself. She was afraid to finish the question. She was afraid of the answer.

'... would you ever had shown up at mine?'

Lesia studied his eyes for a possible answer but every last bit of... _human _was hiding behind that wall of his. There was nothing – she couldn't read him. And he seemed at a loss of words. So it was silent. It was the most awkward silence she had ever been in.

'I thought so...' she managed to get out. Then opened the door towards the living room where everyone was still sitting where she had last seen them – except for Edward, he just got downstairs. No one seemed aware of the fact that she and her father just fought. It didn't matter. Lesia sat down on the couch and tried to watch TV.

Minutes later, her father came out of the kitchen with the news that he knew the location of the last Piece of Eden – one that, for a change, wasn't in possession of the Templars – and that they would leave as soon as possible.

So, while everyone was getting up on their feet to get ready, Logan gave her a confused look because she wasn't doing anything.

'We're not going,' Lesia replied emotionless.

'We're... not?' The boy frowned confused.

'I thought it was better for the two of you to stay here. You can go to your own house, of course, Logan. But Lesia, you need to stay in my house. Is that clear?' Jack studied her and immediately realized she was avoiding his glare.

'Crystal,' she mumbled without looking, her eyes were still on Logan who noticed the tension between the two.

'I think it is a good idea,' Ezio mumbled and tousled her hair playfully to make her smile – which succeeded just a little. 'See you when we get back, _bambina_. And you too, Logan.' He, with a smile, pointed a finger towards him and then, after saying their goodbyes, left the two in Jack's house.

'I already called my mom's driver to pick me up but I can say that I don't want to leave just yet, if you like? And, I can trace Jack's phone so that we can follow them to whatever party they're about to enter,' Logan offered.

A little smile came creeping on her face and faded almost immediately. 'No. I think I am going to listen to him for once. Well, partly. Can your driver drop me at my house?'

Logan nodded. 'Sure. No problem.' He then nervously touched his shirt. 'So... Do you want to talk about it?'

She raised a brow. 'I want to talk about my father as much as you want to talk about yours.'

'So I'm guessing you don't want to talk about it,' he mumbled.

She chuckled. 'Well, I can tell you that, when this is all over, I wanted to live with him, actually. Because, I can't live with my mother and my stepfather. Not only because I hate my stepfather, but also because they don't know what happened. My father knows. So... '

Logan nodded. 'Yeah, I can see why. But now you don't want to anymore?'

Lesia thought about the conversation between her and her father and how he had made clear that – if the Assassins hadn't appear from nowhere – he never would have come to visit her, or see her. 'He doesn't want me, I guess...' she muttered.

Logan sat down beside her on the couch and gave her a look of sympathy – which was very rare for him. 'That sucks. I wish my dad didn't want me.'

Their eyes met for a brief second and both started chuckling about how stupid their lives were.

'You should tell him that you don't want to study economics. That would teach him,' she smiled softly.

'Yeah... Maybe I will tell him that when I get home. If I am not hiding in my basement, that is.'

They chuckled again.

'Nah. Your father seems to me like a good guy. He can take a punch. He probably would be so proud when he finds out how skilled you actually are with a computer. And wires. And stuff.'

Logan smiled. 'Thank you, Lesia.'

'For what?' she laughed.

'For being my friend.'

Lesia stopped laughing and just smiled at him because she didn't know how to respond properly to this.

The two of them waited until Logan got a call from the driver that he was standing two streets away from their current location. The same place where the driver, once, dropped them off. So they got up from the couch and walked towards the car. Logan was holding, of course, the bag that contained his laptop.

It took them an hour to get to Lesia's house where she was dropped off. The first thing she did, after putting the lights on in the house, was turning on the television. With a film on the background (she was currently making herself a sandwich) it was easier to feel like she wasn't alone.

When she finally sat down on the couch, legs pulled up underneath her and halfway through her sandwich, she got a call from her stepfather.

'Finally you guys are calling me back, Jesus,' she mumbled with a mouth half-full.

'If it wasn't for your mother lying in the hospital, I wouldn't have called at all,' he growled in his usual angry voice. Most of the time she would _growl_ back, but now it was different.

'Wait, she is in the hospital?!' She was concerned immediately. Her heart started to hammer in her chest as she was staring at the floor.

'Yes! We were having a lovely time without you in Westbrook. And then, for fucking no reason, part of the town collapsed. Some buildings even collapsed. And because your mother is addicted to shopping, we were standing in one of those buildings! Some big-ass wall or something came down on us and we were stuck until we were saved by some fire-fighters.'

'And how's mom?'

'She is stable. For now. And I am fine, too, thank you for asking,' he mumbled annoyed.

'I don't care how you're doing,' she snapped. 'Just... Where are you and can you pick me up?'

Her stepfather sighed as if the call was already too long for his liking. 'We're in a hospital near Boston. And no, I ain't picking nobody up. You know how long that drive is?'

'Actually, I do. It's a four-hour drive. Not that long if you ask me.'

'Long enough for me to not come and get you, smart-pants. Just stay in the house and I'll keep you updated.'

'You won't do that,' she stated.

'Yup, you're right. I won't.' And he ended the call.

Lesia stared for a long time towards her phone until everything hit her. Then she threw her phone across the room. It hit a wall and fell with a loud _bang_ on the ground. Why did everything, at the moment, had to be so messed up? Why did everything had to go wrong?

Lesia lay down on the couch when she had finished her sandwich and watched the TV while she could only think about her mother. She prayed that she would be alright.

Her eyes grew heavy as she tried to stay awake to watch the end of the film but she didn't make it. She fell asleep. And she opened her eyes two times. Both times she was half-asleep.

The first time she heard a noise coming from the front door and the second time – which, to her, felt like she just blinked – was not long after that. A man with a scar was saying something while he was standing over her, holding something against her nose and mouth. It smelled like some kind of chemical.

She was too sleepy or too surprised to do anything about. It was as if her body was frozen and she couldn't do anything but watch.

Just before she slipped into temporary darkness, his words somehow gotten through to her:

'When does Jack realize that we're always a step ahead of him?'


	23. Requiescat in Pace

**Hey guys!**

**I'm so done. This chapter is just... :'( I can't.**

_**The Forgotten Reader: I'm afraid that I screwed that idea up after this chap. xd And thank you for reviewing!**_

_**MrJaffaJack: I'm afraid it was an Iphone. And thank you very much =}**_

* * *

It hadn't been a very long drive towards Rose Hill Cemetery where Scott "Sully" Sullivan and Leon Jenkins had sent the four Assassins to. Sully and Jenkins were two close friends of Jack. Both of them were Assassins, of course. At this point he trusted no one except the Assassins.

The two men had been leaning against the black SUV as Jack parked the car next to theirs in the parking lot in front of the graveyard.

Sully was busy with his phone – which wasn't unusual for him. He was younger than Jack and definitely smarter. The man had green eyes and brown hair. He was dressed in casual clothes. Jenkins, however, was older than Jack. He had been in the army and was a tough son of a bitch – at least, that was what everyone was saying about him. Jack was one of the few people who had seen the man in action. For a short while both of the man had served their country. Jenkins was wearing a long, black coat and was smoking a cigarette in a way that it seemed as if he rather died today than tomorrow.

'There he is!' Jenkins said with the voice of a chain-smoker as Jack got out of the car. The man threw his cigarette away and walked around the car to give his old friend a handshake.

'Jenkins! I feel younger already,' Jack grinned as he shook his hand and then turned towards Sully to shake his hand.

Meanwhile the Assassins had gotten out of the car and were standing patiently, crossed-armed, next to the car.

Sully's eyes immediately shot up towards the three men and examined them from a distance. Then, when he had decided it was all good, he gave each one of them a handshake, telling them it was a honour to meet them.

'Alright, alright,' Jenkins growled tiredly. 'Enough of that. That's Sully. My name is Jenkins. We're here to help you get back.' He turned towards Jack with a raised brow. 'They know how to handle a gun?'

Jack placed his hands on his hips. 'Yeah. Although Altaïr and Ezio prefer to use their hidden blades.'

Jenkins smiled. 'Ah, that's what I like to hear. Real men. Love it.' He glanced towards Sully who was already glued to his phone. 'Ey! Sully! You still got the signal?'

'Yeah,' he mumbled back.

Jack looked from Sully to Jenkins. 'So you want to fill me in on the gaps?'

'Yes. We'll talk and walk at the same time. Sully! Lead the way!'

Sully jerked up his thumb towards Jenkins and started to cross the road towards the dark graveyard. It wasn't exactly the best place to be – a graveyard in the middle of the night. Then again, Jack had been in worse places. He knew the Assassins had been too.

'Sully has upgraded his phone or something. I can't remember how he said it but... Anyway, he has this thing on his phone that can sense the power of an Apple. I don't know how he did it, that guy is a fucking genius, but somehow it started to go off and according to his phone the Apple must be here. In this graveyard,' Jenkins explained.

'Ah,' Jack muttered as they reached the middle of the graveyard. He was looking at a weird, handmade, old monument. In total there were four entries and four paths that lead to them. This monument was placed in the middle, the four paths came together here.

'Please don't tell me that we have to pull some dead guy's coffin out of the ground. I got a shovel in the back of my car but I wasn't planning on using it,' Jenkins mumbled.

Sully was looking intensely at his screen while the rest of the group were carefully watching the area. Everyone had the same feeling, rooted deep in their subconscious. Something was wrong.

'No...' Sully muttered more to himself. 'I believe it is under this cemetery.'

'That still doesn't sound soothing to me.'

Sully looked up towards his boss. 'Just... give me a minute,' the man mumbled annoyed and turned around to focus himself entirely on his phone. He rolled his eyes as he did so.

'It does not matter in which century you find yourself in, graveyards always give you a ominous feeling.' Edward was standing next to a tombstone, trying to read the words – denying the fact that it was too dark and there were no streetlights whatsoever around. Sully had a phone and Jenkins was holding a flashlight – the only two sources of light at the moment.

'So... I heard you've been quite the busy man, Jack?' Jenkins and Jack were walking past a couple of tombstones, inspecting the area properly. The Assassins were doing the same. Only Sully was still busy with his phone – he looked very annoyed. Jenkins learned that if he just let the kid do what he does best, it would all work out eventually.

'Quite,' Jack replied.

To lighten up his mood, Jenkins gave his old friend a pat on the back. 'Don't you worry now. Everything's taken care of. No fingerprints found on any of the cases. But, seriously, you should tell your kid to be less sloppy. It's a lot of work to cover it all up, y'know.'

Jack snorted humorously. 'I tell her all the time. She won't listen.'

'Aha! Does that sound familiar to you?' Jenkins raised his brows playfully while smiling widely. 'Face it, you were just as awful, Jack. You never listened to me when I was your superior. The only reason you made it was because you always knew how to save the day.' Both of the men stopped walking and faced each other. 'Seriously though, how was it to see your daughter again after all these years?'

Jack gave the man a intense glare, considering his words carefully. He wasn't really in the mood to talk about Lesia now. He wasn't in the mood to talk about Lesia ever. It wasn't because he hated her or was ashamed of her, it was just a... sensitive and complicated subject. 'It was good,' he mumbled in as less words as possible.

Jenkins sensed his unease and wasn't planning on backing down. 'But?'

Jack searched for words. 'It's complicated. The circumstances weren't exactly ideal for a reunion. She was mad at me. Still is.'

His old friend closed his eyes for a moment, nodding. 'Ah well, I have known you for years now and I know that you keep your emotions behind an unbreakable wall. She probably does too. She is... sixteen, right?'

Jack nodded.

'Hm. She will forgive you eventually – if she hasn't done it already. Trust me on this, pal. From father to father. Where is she now?'

'At my place. That is the safest place to be at the moment.' Jack let that sink in and after a while asked: 'What about you? Where were you working again? CIA, FBI, NSA or some other three-letter agency out there?'

Jenkins chuckled. 'It's the FBI. Covering up your shit and stuff.'

'Yeah... about that... I am really thankful for that.'

'I know you are. As I said before, don't worry about it.' The two men smiled briefly at each other when Sully finally managed to get some sense out of his phone.

'Alright. It's a little strange because sometimes the power source will appear on the screen and sometimes it just vanishes. Right now, it's not appearing on my screen – but I know its location. It is right... here.' Sully had been walking in the northern direction (the northern path that lead towards one of the four exits) and was currently standing – almost – at the end of the path. There was nothing except for Sully. No power source – nothing.

Jenkins crossed his arms, confused. 'Heh?'

'Not literal, Jenkins. I am standing on it. According to my phone – and the research I have done in the office about this place – there must be a whole room under this graveyard. It had served as a storage place for bodies.'

'That sounds wonderful,' Edward mumbled sarcastically. He was walking over towards Sully's location and glanced at every tombstone he passed.

'So... Do I need to get my shovel or what?' Jenkins, who was getting a little annoyed, asked while jerking his thumb towards the location of his car – which was standing at the southern gate, all the way back.

Sully sighed because of his boss' ignorance. 'That seems unlikely to me. It's a room so there must be a way to enter it properly.'

The Assassins glanced around the graveyard only to find tombstones and that monument. There was no house whatsoever.

'Maybe there is a staircase built in one of the graves?' Ezio offered and immediately the five of them were studying every grave. Altaïr was looking with a pained expression towards the monument.

'I don't know how your mind even went there, Ezio,' Jenkins mumbled while kneeling down at one of the tombstones and inspecting it. He made sure to not step on the grave itself while he read the name.

'Rose Hill,' he muttered to himself. 'Sully! What was the name of this cemetery again?'

Sully, who was inspecting the tombstones at the other end of the graveyard yelled an answer: 'Rose Hill Cemetery!'

'Hm.' Jenkins was frowning while he pointed his flashlight at the tombstone. The owner of the cemetery died, which wasn't odd at all, but there was something odd about her tombstone. The metal cross that had been put on her tombstone was a little rusted. But not on all places it had the same rust-colour. It seemed as if it had been touched – several times. So Jenkins slowly put his hand on the cross and then started to move it. It took the old man a lot of strength but he finally managed to rotate the cross ninety degrees to the right.

For just a moment it was all quiet and nothing seemed to happen. Then a sound could be heard as if he had set something in motion.

It didn't take them long to realize that the monument in the middle was slowly spinning around and then revealed a staircase which went down.

Altaïr seemed impressed.

'What the hell happened?' Jack asked confused while everybody was gathering around the monument that suddenly had been turned into a staircase.

'I rotated the cross on Rose Hill's tombstone. Then this happened,' Jenkins explained while he inspected the narrow, spiral staircase. It lead to the room Sully was talking about, no doubt, but it seemed a little bit too dark for Jenkins' liking.

'Alright,' Jenkins mumbled while he pulled two guns out of the back of his pants and gave one to Edward. Jack and Sully did the same thing so that every Assassin was armed with a gun – they still had their hidden blades, of course. 'I'll go first with the flashlight. Be very quiet, we don't want to wake the dead.'

With a loaded gun in one hand and flashlight in the other, Jenkins went down the stairs. He was followed by Jack, Ezio, Altaïr, Sully and finally Edward. Edward was probably the best shooter and Altaïr was the worst – if Sully had practiced, that is.

While walking down the stairs, a smell of rot and stale came to meet the six Assassins. Jack decided to breathe through his mouth to avoid the stench.

When they finally made it downstairs the six of them lined up next to each other. It was almost too dark to see and Jenkins' flashlight wasn't helping a lot, but they were standing in an old room. The walls had been used to storage coffins and bodies, but they were empty.

'This stinks,' Jenkins muttered almost inaudible.

'The room or the situation?' Sully asked.

Jenkins was about to reply 'both' to Sully when they heard a loud _bang_ of a door closing at the other side of the room – which made them realize there was more than one room. The six of them were immediately on their guard, guns pointing upwards.

It took Jenkins a bit to finally get the person in the beam of his flashlight. It was too far away, though, and nobody recognized the man.

'Identify yourself,' Jenkins yelled at the man, his finger on the trigger.

The man said nothing.

'There are six guns pointed at you, identify yourself immediately!'

The man chuckled and somewhere in the back of Jack's head a bell went off.

'There are twenty guns pointed at you. I wouldn't be stupid if I was you, Leon.'

Jenkins winced at the sound of his name and darted his eyes around the room. It was too dark to see anything.

Jack, however, immediately recognized the voice. He had heard it the past days far too much for his liking. Mathias. That son of a bitch.

The six Assassins were still pointing their guns towards Mathias, even though the man had just told them they were significantly outnumbered.

'I suppose you Assassins need to _see_ how outnumbered you are. Alright, boys!'

Suddenly, from all around the room, candles were lit by Templars. The room was all of a sudden well lit and the twenty guards were still pointing their guns towards them. If they were to battle the Assassins would most definitely lose.

'How did you find this place, Mathias?' Jack asked bitterly. He was gritting his teeth to not pull the trigger. It was very tempting, he admitted.

'You aren't the only ones with a hacker at your side. Actually, you can meet him. He is here right now!' Mathias was smiling widely while one of the guards – who was standing at the door at the right – opened up the door. A fragile, little boy was pushed into the room. He lost his glasses along the way and his hands were tied in front of him with a rope.

Jack's heart sank to the floor when he recognized the boy as Logan. How did Mathias get to him?

Logan's cheeks were coloured red, his eyes were red and wet. He had been crying but he didn't look like he was hurt.

'He hacked Sully's phone as soon as Sully had the location of the Apple. We were lucky because of you, Jenkins. You are a very slow driver. That's how we made it just in time.' Mathias smiled again and, for a brief moment, glanced over towards Logan who had a gun pointed towards his head.

'So, you want to give me your guns or what?'

Jack inhaled deeply and was the first one who threw his gun on the ground and kicked it towards one of the guards in front him. The others followed his example.

'Good, good...' Mathias closed his eyes for a second, pleased.

'Mathias. Let the boy go. He's got nothing to do with this...' Jack tried to convince the crazy man but even he knew that wouldn't work.

'No, no, no, no, no... You've got it all wrong, Jacky. He's got _everything_ to do with this.' Mathias narrowed his eyes while he studied his enemy. He loved the fact that Jack didn't know everything.

'You want me, right? Well, here I am. You can do anything with me, just don't hurt the boy.' Jack took a step forward and the guards had their fingers on the trigger.

Mathias smiled darkly. 'Oh, you don't know how long I've waited for this moment. Yes, I want you. But I am smarter than you think. I know that torturing you is not the kind of pain I want you to feel.'

'What are you talking about?' Jenkins, who was getting impatient, snapped angrily.

Mathias, still smiling darkly, gestured to one of the guards on his left to open the second door. The guard did as he was asked and not a minute later a girl came stumbling out the door. Just like Logan, hands tied in front of her. Roughly, she got pulled to her feet by the guard and he pointed a gun towards her head.

Jack closed his eyes for a moment to let this sink in. How. She had been in his house. His house was the safest place to be right now. How...

Unless she had disobeyed him, yet again.

Jack's eyes darted towards Lesia who seemed a little bruised. She had probably guessed what he was thinking about because she moved with her lips an inaudible '_I'm sorry_,' towards him. He couldn't be in a more terrible situation than he was in right now.

'Ah... Defeat. I see it in your eyes, Jacky.' Mathias was in a great mood after seeing his reaction. He had an inerasable smile on his face.

* * *

Lesia was watching Logan closely while he seemed to avoid her gaze. Why was he crying? The shock? Maybe, but still. It was Logan; he didn't cry _that_ easily – if one considered a kidnapping by the worst enemy _easily_. Maybe he was ashamed of his actions – of his incapability to fight back. He shouldn't be ashamed of them – he was a teenager. Mathias probably threatened him to hack that man's phone. Wait, didn't Mathias kidnap her?

She didn't remember it correctly. It was all a blur. The only thing she knew was that she woke up in the trunk of a car, hands tied. When the car stopped and Mathias tried to get her out, she started to kick and punch around her. She was certain that she hit him more than once, but Mathias didn't care. He grabbed her and threw her out of the car to a graveyard.

When she made it down the stairs she had been locked up in this room that reeked of dead mouse. By the time she got out, all this happened. Her father was suddenly standing in the room with the Assassins and two men she had never seen before.

Suddenly, the door at Logan's side opened up and Lesia could see the boy shrink as he stood there, at the end of a gun. She didn't understand it until the man entered the room. The girl didn't even notice the Apple of Eden in the hand of the man. She was too transfixed by the man.

Mathias respectfully took a step back to let the broad-shouldered man stand in his place – which showed everybody that Mathias had never been the Grand Master in the first place.

'I assume you were looking for this?' He held up the Apple of Eden so that everyone in the room could see it clearly. The man gave everyone a satisfied look when he saw the expressions of the Assassins.

'Morton Hayward, why am I not surprised?' Jenkins said angrily. Everyone knew Morton. He was one of the wealthiest men in the United States. His company made millions. The man was on the news every month, talking about economics. He being the Templar Grand Master was just... typical. Jenkins had done a background check on the Haywards but never found something and now he could hit himself in the face with his background checks.

Jack narrowed his eyes while he watched Morton closely, the Assassins switched their gazes between Logan and Morton – they recognized the surname, but they weren't sure.

'A Grand Master who does not do the dirty work himself. How cowardly of you,' Altaïr hissed, his anger was bubbling inside and he wanted to act but he couldn't. The last time he acted without his head straight, a man was killed and a good friend lost his arm. He had to wait.

Morton's eyes darted towards the Arab and he studied the man for a moment. 'I wouldn't say cowardly, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. Clever, is more like it. I am keeping our ideals alive – I am doing what should've been done a long time ago,' he said with pride in his eyes and voice.

'Your idea of a perfect world is wrong. You can't take away the freedom of a man. You can't control free will, Morton,' Jack argued.

The man raised a brow. 'I can't control free will?' he repeated slowly. The Apple of Eden started to glow while it was still in his hand. It was the same bright light they had seen in the temple and the library. It didn't affect Jack, Altaïr, Ezio, Edward, Lesia, Logan, Mathias and Morton. But the guards and Jenkins and Sully it did affect. Their eyes started to glow an orange colour – the same colour like the Apple. And they didn't listen to anyone else but Morton.

'Ignorance is chaos. Give a man freedom and he will bring chaos. The people need to be controlled. We need order in the world. We need to save humanity from itself,' Morton explained simply while the guards were still pointing their guns towards the Assassins. He then glanced over towards his son who hadn't moved an inch. The poor boy almost dropped dead right there when his father laid eyes on him.

'Because you're my son I'll give you a chance to join us, the Templars. You know better than anyone that ignorance is chaos, Logan. If you join us, I will support you in every decision you make in this life.'

Lesia's mouth dropped to the floor upon hearing this. This was blackmail. He was clearly talking about the economics-issue. And he was using Logan's desire to make _him_ proud. Lesia glanced over to Logan who wasn't looking good at all. He looked like a trapped animal. And it seemed that he was giving her a questioning look – as if she had to decide for him. But she couldn't decide for him. Yes, the best decision was the side of the Assassins. But he knew if she had been standing in his place that she would pick them. He knew what she would do. But she didn't know what he would do. It was his father. His whole life he wanted to make his father proud and now he finally had the chance.

It seemed obvious to Lesia which side Logan would pick.

'Well?' Morton pressed in a friendly manner – though a little impatient.

Logan swallowed hard and then, suddenly, something changed in his expression. He looked certain – as if he knew what he had to do.

'No,' he finally managed to get out. And then, a little louder: 'No. I am not joining the Templars. For once I'm not doing what _you_ want me to do.' He even stepped towards his father to show him that he was done with the man. He was now standing face to face with his father.

Lesia was surprised by his strong voice and his decision, then she smiled. He finally stood up for himself. He finally did it! She couldn't be prouder.

Morton, however, wasn't pleased with this answer. 'I really thought you were better than this,' he spat in disdain. All of a sudden, the man seemed angry and Lesia didn't like it.

Morton looked up towards Jack. 'I hope you can handle the idea of your friends trying to kill you. Because that is going to happen. And to you...' He glanced over to his own son. 'I'm sorry. I cannot let history repeat itself.'

Lesia was certain that he was talking about Connor and Haytham. And while she was trying to figure his words out, Morton had grabbed a gun, pointed it towards his own son... and pulled the trigger without hesitation. And while he shot his son, the guards started shooting and Jenkins and Sully started to attack her father and the Assassins.

It was at that moment when Lesia realized what he meant by 'not letting history repeat itself'. Connor shot his father. And now Morton didn't want to become Haytham, so he shot his own son before Logan could shoot him instead.

In a blink of an eye she was gone. Before she even realized what was happening, her feet had already carried her towards Logan who was now lying on the filthy and dusty ground. She fell to her knees next to her friend and looked at the wound in his chest. It was close to his heart or through his heart – she didn't know. She was no expert of gunshots. Or bodies.

'Eh... eh...' she stuttered while she tried to do anything to help him. In those movies, when someone got shot, they pressed their hands on the wound to stop the bleeding. But her hands were tied. 'We can fix this. I can fix this. Just... hang in there.' Lesia was still trying to figure out a way to stop the bleeding – ignoring the countless shots that weren't meant for her – when she felt something wet around her knees. It took only a moment to realize that it was Logan's blood.

'Logan...' she whispered in a sob. Her eyes met his. 'Stay with me. Just, please. Stay with me.'

'Lesia...' he whispered weakly. His eyes weren't holding that sparkle anymore. The gunshot was breaking every piece of Logan. His personality was gone. And soon, if she didn't do something – anything – he, too, would be gone.

He coughed and Lesia saw the colour red surrounding his teeth and his tongue. He was coughing up blood.

She grabbed his tied hands – as far as that was possible – and squeezed in them to let him know that she was there. And that she always would be there, at his side, as a friend.

'Please. Don't leave me here,' she muttered in an inaudible voice. The lump in her throat made it almost impossible to talk.

'Lesia...' he tried again. He squeezed her hands ever so weakly that it made her sob even worse. 'I forgot... to tell him... that...' He seemed to be searching for words – something he had never done before in his life, 'that... I don't want... to study economics. Can you... tell him that?' It seemed as if he was hanging from life's ledge and he was only holding on to get her answer and when she answered his question, he would let go.

She didn't want to answer his question. She really didn't want him to let go. He needed to stay with her. But she couldn't ignore it either.

Lesia nodded, tears still rolling down her cheeks. 'Yes, Logan... I will tell him that.'

The boy nodded weakly his head with closed eyes, pleased with the answer. For a moment he looked like he was sleeping. Just sleeping, right there, in the middle of chaos with a puddle of blood around his body. Sleeping peacefully.

'Logan?' her voice cracked when she said his name.

He did not respond. He would never, ever, respond again.

* * *

**I need a hug. Anyone else? :{**


	24. Mayhem

**Hey guys!**

**Chaos chapter ahead. AND IMSORRYFORKILLINGHIMOFFLIKETHATDONTHATEMEPLEASE.**

**_MrJaffaJack:_ Hahahaha lol. Yes that'd be great. Let's find out if she does, ^^**

**_Crazy Old Me:_ Thank you! You are seriously too kind :]**

**_Lightningpanda:_ I'M SORRY! D: **

**_Elea:_ I am sooorrry. I am a horrible person, I know that. O;**

**_IAmOneMagicVortex:_ I don't think anyone did Dx**

**_Guest:_ Haha! Thank you anonymous person. I really appreciate it. =)**

**Sooooo... you guys noticed the cover Image? It is made by Vanecool (her username on Deviantart is Cuine). You should check her out. =]**

**And as usual, have a nice day and enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

When chaos started, Jack had thrown himself on the ground, behind an empty coffin that had been lying on the ground. He tilted the thing for more coverage – not that it helped much anyway. Altaïr and Ezio had thrown themselves on the guards, while Edward dove to the ground where their guns were still lying. He threw Jack a gun – which the man caught just in time to shoot a guard who was pointing his gun at Edward.

After Morton had taken the shot, everyone just started shooting. Jack was certain that Logan was hit, but he couldn't see the boy from where he was standing. Lesia had disappeared as well and that bothered him greatly. Her hands were tied. She couldn't do anything, really.

Jack shot another guard in the head when he suddenly got pulled out of his cover and was thrown onto the ground. His gun flew metres away from him.

He quickly rolled over to stare into the glowing eyes of Jenkins who didn't hesitate and pinned him down. They struggled for a couple of moments when Jenkins finally managed to get his hands around Jack's neck. The man was a bear, Jack admitted, and his strength was still there – even though he had gotten old. Jenkins was trying to choke Jack and Jack struggled, somehow, after seconds that seemed like minutes, loose. Without hesitation he connected his right fist with Jenkins' jaw sending the man flying sideways to the ground.

Jack didn't catch his breath and wanted to throw himself on his old pal, when Jenkins kicked him and he stumbled backwards.

Jenkins jumped to his feet and parried a blow that was meant for his face. He swung his fist in Jack's stomach, which succeeded. He wanted to throw another blow towards Jack, but the man dodged them easily.

Jack was certain that Jenkins had no idea what he was doing. This wasn't Jenkins, this was Morton playing with Jenkins. And he hated the fact that he had to hurt his friend in order to stay alive. He wanted to get Jenkins unconscious – not dead – but when the man grabbed a knife from his belt, Jack wasn't so sure if _unconscious_ was still an option.

Jenkins got a couple of good hits with his knife and Jack was bleeding by the end of Morton's game. He wasn't the only one. Ezio had been busy with Sully – who he tried not to kill – and guards. Altaïr was kicking, stabbing and punching everyone around him. A couple of his ribs were most definitely broken but he kept on fighting. Edward was shooting the guards who weren't close to him, the ones who were close to him he stabbed with his hidden blades or he twisted their necks.

It was Jenkins who made a fatal mistake so that Jack had the space to grab the gun that had fallen metres away. He pointed it towards Jenkins.

* * *

Lesia was unsure of how much time had passed after Logan had closed his eyes forever. It could be seconds or hours – she had no idea. She was still kneeling beside him, her tied hands in his. His hands, however, weren't warm anymore. They were cold and already becoming stiff.

She was currently staring at his face with tears streaming relentlessly down her cheeks. His lips were paler than usual – his skin was paler as usual. He was Logan, yet he wasn't Logan. Not anymore.

He really needed to get up. _She_ needed him to get up. She had already thought about school and how they would be sitting next to each other, taking classes together, discussing their awesome adventures. She pictured them crying about the Assassins because they would never see them again. But she had never pictured herself crying over Logan. She had thought herself, and him, immortal. The Assassins – her father – would've taken care of them. They would've protected them just like they protected them when the bridge broke down and when they entered Otho, the office building, and when the cave collapsed on their heads. But they didn't protect him. She didn't protect him either. If she just had listened to her father and told Logan to stay in his house... Maybe he would have _really_ been asleep in her father's bed now. Or on the couch.

Why did she never listen to her father?

Lesia didn't even notice that her pants were almost completely soaked by his blood. She pressed her forehead on his chest while her tears disappeared in his clothes. She hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings – to the chaos that was currently happening around her – until she felt an excruciating pain in her shoulder.

Automatically, her hand went towards her shoulder but never reached it. Her hands were tied and when one hand moved, the other one moved with it. Moving her left hand was too painful and she cried out in pain.

Before she even realized what was happening, she was roughly pulled to her feet and taken away from the body of Logan. She noticed the drops of blood on the ground that seemed to follow her.

Mathias didn't seem to care if Lesia was in pain or not. He stopped exactly on the spot he had been standing on before and pointed a loaded gun at her head. She could feel the cold metal press against her temple. They were facing the backs of the guards who were still under the influence of the Apple.

The guards had their guns pointed towards the Assassins who were panting heavily, looking up towards Mathias and Lesia. Jack was the last one who noticed Mathias – he was still pointing the gun towards Jenkins. He seemed trapped. He wanted to point his gun towards Mathias, but couldn't risk it, for Jenkins would certainly take advantage of the situation. So he kept his gun on Jenkins while he was watching Mathias closely.

'Drop the gun, Jack,' Mathias said seriously. His voice made Lesia shiver, as always. She tried to keep her thoughts together, but the pain was overwhelming. Especially because Mathias was touching her shoulder deliberately.

Jack did nothing.

Mathias sighed dramatically. 'You and I both know that if she doesn't get help soon, she will bleed to death. Do you want that, Jack? Two dead kids' blood on your hands?'

Jack considered his words and then handed over the gun to Jenkins who pointed it towards him.

'Let her go, please. Hell, I will get down on my knees and beg for you to let her go, if you want.' Jack finally seemed to accept his defeat. Mathias finally had him cornered. He thought he had succeeded when Lesia had been in his cell, but the damn kid escaped. And now he could finally do the same damage to Jack as he had done to him. He finally could make a scar for life.

Mathias exhaled calmly. 'As much as I like that idea... I can't.'

Lesia ignored the rest of his sentence because suddenly she realized something. Everyone had a gun pointed towards their heads. Her father was practically begging Mathias to let her go. No one was able to save her if shit went down. _They _were arguing about _her_ life. She was about to die – if she didn't do anything about it. Did she want to die?

Her eyes darted towards Logan's body. She was positive that her friend didn't want her to die – not like this. He probably wanted revenge on his father. He wanted her to live – just like she wanted him to live. She had to do something – anything.

Then her eyes glanced over to the Assassins and finally her father. He seemed desperate. She just had her father back. She didn't want to lose him again – or, in this case, him losing her. She didn't want to die. She _couldn't_ die, not just yet.

Lesia bit her lower lip because what she was about to do was going to hurt _a lot_. Then, without warning, she swung her body to the right and made sure that she, with all the strength she had left, connected her elbow with Mathias' crotch.

Mathias hadn't foreseen this . Out of surprise he dropped his gun which she kicked a couple of metres away from him. She did this to get some space – she knew that if she wanted to beat him, she had to grab the gun, but first she had to get away from him. So she threw herself forward towards the gun, ignoring the pain and ignoring the fact that she was on the verge of fainting.

Meanwhile the Assassins took advantage of this moment. Jack quickly stepped in, hands grabbing the gun while Jenkins pulled trigger – the bullet hit nothing important, luckily. He kicked Jenkins in the stomach, broke his arm as if it was nothing and caught the gun which his old friend dropped. He swung the rear of the gun against his head to knock him unconscious and immediately shot two guards while Edward yelled to him to get to Lesia. Jack, however, ran into Morton who was blocking the way.

Lesia had made it to the gun and was currently struggling with it. Her hands were tied and she couldn't pick it up easily.

Mathias had recovered from Lesia's attack and when he saw the teenager kneeling on the ground, he clenched his fist and hit her on the side of her head.

The girl fell on her side and lost her sight for a brief moment. But, she had just made it in time to pick up the gun – and, even better, she hadn't been dumb enough to drop it. So when she looked back up and saw Mathias walking over to her, she raised the gun. Due to the pain, she couldn't see clearly – half of her sight was drowning in darkness, but she pulled the trigger anyway. Three times.

Three bullets went straight into Mathias' chest, making him stumble backwards and fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Lesia immediately dropped the gun and her hands fell on her stomach. She rested her head on the ground with closed eyes. The girl was completely exhausted and, worst of all, still bleeding.

Jack and Morton, the Assassin and the Templar Grand Master, were currently standing face-to-face, guns raised and ready to shoot. No one did shoot though, they knew that if one pulled the trigger, the other one would too. And, in the end, they would both be lying on the ground.

'Are you satisfied with this, Morton? Killing your own son?' Jack was breathing heavily, his heart pumping loudly and his adrenaline flowing. He felt nothing but hate towards this man.

Morton, who didn't have a scratch, inhaled deeply. 'I had no choice. It didn't matter what decision he picked, he would've died either way. As soon as I heard him talk about Lesia over dinner and how he acted around her I knew he would never be a true Templar,' the man said simply and Jack had to restrain himself from strangling the Grand Master until he died.

'So why'd you offer him the chance anyway? Why did you ask him to make a decision?'

The broad-shouldered man grinned a little. 'I had to know for myself what he would do. I had to know if he had changed. He had.' Morton almost seemed... proud of this.

Jack felt a nauseating feeling through his entire body. 'You're a sick man.' He noticed in the corner of his eye that the Assassins were almost done with the guards (and Sully).

'Sick, maybe. Succeeding, definitely.' Morton was pleased with his response.

'As long as there are Assassins walking on this earth, you will never succeed. As long as _we_ are breathing, the Templars will never achieve their goals.' Jack narrowed his eyes while he was looking his enemy in the eye.

He waited.

But Morton never spoke again because Edward had shot him through the head. The Apple of Eden rolled out of his hand as his body hit the ground causing everyone who had been affected by that damned thing to _snap_ back into reality.

Jack, however, didn't pick up the ball. He had jumped over the body and was currently running towards Lesia who, to his surprise, was lying not that far away from the body of Mathias. Did she shoot Mathias? When he saw the gun lying next to her he was sure that she killed him.

'Lesia!' He dropped to his knees next to her and made sure she still had a pulse. Jack was relieved when he found a faint pulse. His daughter had lost a lot of blood – the small puddle of blood on the ground told him that. She didn't even look like the Lesia he knew – she was covered in blood. He was guessing that some of it was Logan's.

'Can you hear me, Lesia?' Jack asked and beckoned Altaïr to cut the rope that tied her hands together with his hidden blade.

Her eyes rolled open when her hands were finally able to move freely but she didn't seem to progress anything of this. She was very weak and Jack had to do something. Now.

'Jack,' Altaïr said softly. Jack had been too focused to look around and see what was going on. Edward was helping Jenkins to his feet while the man was complaining about his arm and Ezio was apologizing to Sully (he had been the one who beat the poor guy until he came back to his senses).

Jack glanced up towards Altaïr. 'What?' he snapped.

'You are bleeding...'

Jack frowned and looked down at himself. He knew he had been cut by Jenkins' knife but he hadn't paid attention to his wounds, until now. He pressed his hand gently on the left side of his stomach, the side that had ached for a couple of minutes now. He withdrew his hand a moment later that now was covered in blood.

Jack had no words to say to Altaïr – or to anyone. He placed one hand gently behind Lesia's back and the other he slid under her knees. He then lifted her from the ground and walked towards the stairs. He had one thing on his mind right now and that was saving his daughter before it was too late.

If it wasn't already too late.


End file.
